3Death is Time Lord for Man Flu
"Clara! Clara!" The Doctor burst through the doors of the Tardis excitedly calling out her name. "I just was told about the most amazing plan- why are you still in bed?" He paused mid-sentence taking note of the fact that Clara was laying in bed with tissues tossed forlornly onto her duvet.
"Sorry Doctor. I'm not going anywhere." She said just before erupting into a coughing fit. She folded herself up into the fetal position and wrapped her arms around her chest as if it would help stop the pain in her lungs. The Doctor rushed to her side, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at what was going on. "No!" She coughed out putting a hand out to stop him from getting closer. He did as was commanded but a moment later continued on until he was beside her. "Idiot. You're going to get sick." She panted falling back on her elevated pillows when the coughing subsided.
"What's going on Clara? I've never seen you like this."
"Flu season at school. Bloody Courtney Woods came to school when she was still sick with the flu and passed it on to me. Now everyone in my classroom is passing it around to each other. You have to stay back or else you're going to get it too."
"Clara, I'm a Time Lord. I have a superior immune system. The only flu I get is death, and I'm not regenerating any time soon."
"You'll regret those words. Now fly off in your box and come back in a week or so." She ordered closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the headboard.
"What about you?" He asked worriedly.
"Oh I'll be fine. I've got my own pharmacy right beside me, see?" She said motioning her hand to the nightstand that was adorned with cough syrup, cough drops, DayQuil, NyQuil, Mucinex, tissues, a thermometer, tea, ginger ale, and low fat cream crackers. Beside the bed was a dustbin that appeared to already be half filled with what The Doctor could only guess was the contents of her stomach.
"Oh my Clara." He murmured softly, his heart aching for her. "What are your symptoms?"
"The better question is what symptoms don't I have?" She coughed out, raising her arm up to her mouth to try and stop the germs from spreading to him. "Let's see… dry coughing, obviously, runny nose, throwing up, fever, extreme body aches that make me feel as though I've been run over by a bus, chills, headaches, and fatigue. Can barely manage to drag myself to the loo when I have to pee."
The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows again in confusion. "Why didn't you call me? How long have you been sick for?"
"Only about a day. And I didn't call because I don't want you getting sick. I don't have any idea how your immune system works and maybe if you were to catch the flu you would actually die or your body couldn't handle the human virus and no medicine would work. I don't want you to see me like this either." She sniffled, trying to hold back the fluid in her nose, before reaching onto the nightstand and grabbing a tissue, blowing her nose loudly into it.
"Like what? Human?" He asked beginning to pick the tissues off her bed and toss them into the bin.
"No, sick. I already look horrible. I haven't showered since yesterday and my hair is all gross and I feel like my skin is crawling from the icky germs and I'm still throwing up and then feeling as though I was thrown into a volcano and then left on a glacier."
"Clara, I'm not going to leave you because you can't control your appearance. It never mattered to me anyway." He tried to reassure her.
"Gee thanks." She said rolling her eyes.
"That's not what I meant." He sighed knowing he'd poorly chosen his words but Clara hadn't made him a card for this type of situation.
"You don't look horrible Clara, in fact you look um…better than if you were dying."
"Swing and a miss Doctor." She chuckled knowing this wasn't his strong suit. Chuckling led to another coughing fit but this time it wasn't as painful.
"Oh God my lungs actually feel like they're dying. It hurts so bad."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes, leave. Please."
"Clara I'm not leaving you. You need me." He protested and if Clara didn't know better she'd say he was whinging.
"I need you to not get sick and also not see me get worse. I don't want you to see me all weak and pathetic."
"Clara Oswald, you are anything but weak and pathetic." He smiled gently at her and tucked a fallen strand of hair back behind her ear.
Clara gave him a small smile and ducked her head to try and avoid his intense gaze. She'd never seen him look so concerned or push back against her this hard.
"I take it there's no way I can convince you to leave me?" She asked with a strangled cough.
"None Impossible Girl." He replied leaning over her and placing a kiss on her head.
Clara's heart beat a little faster as she felt his lips pressed against her head. He'd never shown her such affection before. His voice was so tender too, he'd only used that tone with her a few times since they first met two years ago. And then he was using terms of endearment. Which one of them was really sick?
Before she could question him he left with the dustbin and disappeared inside his Tardis. He was only gone ten minutes but Clara was worried she'd throw up again before he returned with her bin. When he walked back in he was pushing a wheel chair with the dustbin resting on the seat.
"What's that for?" She inquired.
"Well, I did some research on the traditional human flu in 2015 and you need to take a luke warm shower. It'll help with the fever and it'll make you feel better about not being clean."
"My bathroom is five feet away. You can't just carry me in there?" She asked, eyebrow raised.
"You're using the Tardis shower. It'll hopefully help kill off some of the bacteria that's infected your system."
"Have you already forgotten that I told you I have extreme body aches and fatigue? I can't walk five feet. What makes you think I'll be able to stand long enough to take a shower?"
"The fact that there's a bench for you to sit on as you shower?" He asked in response.
Clara's eyes lightened and she gave him an affectionate smile. "How very considerate of you."
"What is your temperature as of now?"
"Well I recently took it and I was at 39.4 C."
"Clara! You're burning up!" He exclaimed aghast, rushing to her and pulling the blankets off her form.
"Doctor!" She cried, shivering as the cold air kissed her skin. For a moment his gaze was stuck on her as he realized she was only wearing underwear and the thin tank top he'd seen earlier. His mouth dropped open and once the shock had worn off he quickly turned his face away and began to apologize profusely.
She didn't even have the energy to give him a verbal beat down for just yanking the covers off of her, nor the energy to try and get up and grab a pair of shorts. It was his own fault and now he just had to suck it up and deal with it. He was the one who insisted on staying and he was in her bedroom after all.
"Are you going to stand there with your back to me all day or are you going to help me up so I can shower?" She asked with a roll of her eyes.
"I um…erm..you-"
"I'm not in the mood to deal with this Doctor." Clara exasperated with a sigh. "Yes. I'm in my underwear. Big deal. This is my house and I'm sick. I'm not putting on more clothes."
The Doctor turned back to her and kept his eyes strictly on her face. She wondered what was going on with him. Maybe this version of him was more modest? She'd already seen him naked, well the other him, and he'd evidently seen her naked before too.
"Right. Okay." He said swallowing before carefully lifting her up and placing her into the wheelchair.
Not suspecting just how strong he was or how weightless she'd become in his arms, a small squeak left her lips and the Doctor erupted into laughter. Her noise seemed to have set him at ease and he placed her into the wheelchair still laughing, his eyes lit in delight.
"That was the single most adorable noise I've ever heard." He watched as her cheeks became red but whether it was from her fever or it was her blushing he couldn't be sure.
"Shut up." She said softly, clearly embarrassed.
"Clara, Clara, Clara, Clara." He repeated, a smile on his face. Her lack of clothing temporarily forgotten.
He wheeled her through the halls but had to stop a moment as she started to throw up. Good thing they'd brought the bin. He held back her hair for her and rubbed her back as she was hunched over. That was something he'd learned during his research that comforted humans when they were sick. She continued retching for another minute before finally her body calmed down.
"You okay?" He asked when she sat back up. She just nodded looking both pale and extremely red. His Clara was always doing contradicting things.
"As okay as I can be. I'm looking forward to that shower even more now. How can you even stand to be here watching this? I'm disgusted and I'm the one going through it. I can only imagine how it looks."
"Oh Clara Oswald, leave it to you to be embarrassed by the basest human condition. I don't care about anything except being by your side to help you feel better. I…I have a duty of care." He spoke softly, his hand caressing her face the way she'd done to him before.
"Thank you." Clara replied, a smile on her face, her hand covering his own as she leaned into his cool touch. It felt soothing as her body began to flare up again and she felt as though she'd been thrown in a volcano once more.
He noticed the shift in her body language and the pained look on her face. "What's going on Clara?"
"Heat flash." She said beginning to pant, wishing for relief.
"Hold on tight to the bin." He instructed going back to the helm of the chair and pushing her faster down the corridor. They made it into the shower just a minute later and forgetting about his own clothes he quickly ran into the open shower room and quickly turned on the faucets, waiting under the water until it was luke warm. Once the water was adjusted he ran back over to Clara and set the bin down beside the chair and lifted her up just as effortlessly as before, and walked her into the shower. His own suit was now quickly absorbing the water as he held her closely under the shower head.
Her eyes were closed, head pressed into his shoulder, and a soft moan escaped her lips as the water cascaded over her body effectively cooling her instantly.
"Better?" He asked, the water flattening his fluffy curls and falling from his sharp angles onto Clara's body.
She made a small noise of affirmation and nuzzled her head until it was resting in the crook of his neck. He felt her press a gentle kiss to his neck and the small action made him smile and his hearts beat just a little faster. He moved to set her down on the bench but she clutched onto him as though it was life or death.
"No. No. Please don't let me go." She begged lifting her head up for a moment to meet his eyes.
Her eyes were so enlarged that he could never say no to her, not that he wanted to anyways. He held her a little tighter and she let out a sigh of relief. Rather than speak he pressed a kiss to her forehead and let his lips linger for a moment.
"I'm not letting you go but I'm going to sit okay?" He said just before bending down and sitting on the shower bench, his back resting against the wall. Clara curled herself further into him and wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping her head secured on his shoulder, buried in his neck. He wrapped one arm around her and with the other he reached for the shampoo bottle in the corner. He squirted a fair amount on the top of her head and making sure she wasn't going to fall he let her go with his other hand and began to massage the soap into her head.
"Mmm, feels good." She murmured sleepily.
"Don't fall asleep on me now Clara. You're going to have take off your clothes to clean your body when I leave."
"No." She protested. "You can do it; I have my bra on under my tank. Don't have the energy to do it. Plus, you feel comfy."
He could never deny her anything, even if it would only tempt him and test his self control. "When I finish your hair, I'm going to need you to let go of me so we can get you out of that tank top."
"M'kay." She yawned nuzzling his neck again. He continued massaging the soap into her hair and a few sleepy, delighted moans were released from her lips as he did so. He could only wonder if she would make those same noises if he kissed her, and yet this seemed so much more intimate than tasting her lips could ever be. She liked to always be in control of everything, and yet here she was relenting control to him and trusting him to take care of and clean her without taking advantage of her.
"Clara?" He asked, his accent a little thicker as his nervousness took over.
"Mm?" She replied. Her lips were resting against his neck causing the vibrations to reverberate across the patch of skin. He shivered in response and closed his eyes momentarily before continuing.
"Why did you try to push me away earlier if what you really wanted was for me to stay and hold you like this?"
"I was afraid. I thought if you saw me like this you'd look at me differently." She mumbled against his skin.
"Clara Oswald, when will you learn? My affections for you run deeper than appearances." He reprimanded rinsing the the soap from her hair.
"Affections?" She asked lifting her head out of the crook of his neck just enough to meet his eyes.
"Yes Impossible Girl. I thought I'd made that obvious." He caressed her face and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "If you weren't so sick right now I'd have already kissed you properly. I was going to do that when I whisked you off to the planet I wanted to show you."
Clara smiled and nestled her face against him again. "Tell me about the planet."
"During the day it's just a boring old planet but once the suns set the most stunning thing happens. The stars come out, the skies turn to purple, a gentle breeze blows through the caves made of crystal and you can hear the music made by the wind hitting the crystals just right. The water fall at the end of the cave is the perfect spot to view the sky and hear the caves sing. People have called that one spot, and particular cave, Couples Cave. I planned to bring a small picnic dinner and stroll through the cave to the spot where we would sit and eat and wait for the sun to set and the breeze to blow through and hear the caves sing. I was going to tell you how beautiful I think you are and kiss you. I was going to ask you if you wanted to take our friendship and turn it into a proper relationship. But I suppose all of that will have to wait." He said with a sad smile, finishing rinsing the last of the shampoo from her hair.
"No it doesn't." She murmured, shaking her head. "Ask me now." Clara begged meeting his eyes.
"But this isn't romantic or the right time." He frowned. "I wanted to do this right."
"Doctor, you're ruining your clothes for me and washing me. I think it is romantic enough. Ask me please." She repeated.
"Clara Oswald, would you be interested in dating this daft old idiot holding you?"
Clara smiled and a small laugh passed from her lips. "Yes. I'd like that very much." The moment didn't last long as Clara whipped her head in the opposite direction of him and began to cough uncontrollably into her elbow.
When it finally subsided she whimpered and held onto him a little tighter. He rubbed circles on her back and began softly humming to her, holding her close.
"Don't forget the conditioner." Clara mumbled.
"Yes Clara." He said with a smile, stopping his movements and grabbing the bottle of conditioner.
"Only the tips of my hair, not my whole head."
"Yes boss." He replied dutifully.
"So…does this mean you're my boyfriend now?"
"Is that what you want to call me?"
Clara shook her head against him. "It doesn't sound right."
"So what shall you call me then?"
He felt her lips pull up in a smile against his neck. "My Doctor. The man I'd wander across the Universe looking for."
"I like it. And what shall I call you?"
"Whatever you like." She replied pressing a gentle kiss to his neck.
The Doctor smiled and said softly, "My Clara, my Love, my light, the one who tends to my hearts and keeps them safe."
Clara pulled his face down some and pressed a kiss to his cheek wishing it could be his lips. "I like those."
"Me too my Clara." He replied kissing her forehead again.
Once they finished in the shower, The Doctor picked her up and helped her walk into the full body dryer across from the shower. It was easy for the Tardis to dry her thin layers but there was no such luck for his numerous heavy layers. He was soaked to the bone and felt ten times heavier with the wet clothes on. His hair however returned to its' fluffy state and Clara giggled patting it down in an attempt to try and tame the floof.
"Would you mind terribly if we took a detour to my room so I can dry off and change?"
"Of course not." Clara replied feeling much better than when she'd gone in the shower.
"Then we'll head to the medibay and check your temperature. Hopefully it'll have dropped."
"After that I'm taking a nap. I'm tired. Someone wouldn't let me sleep in the nice cool shower."
The Doctor grinned and placed a kiss on the top of her head as he helped her back into the wheel chair. "Let me just take a moment to clean this out and I'll be right with you." He took the dustbin and walked over to a large sink, washing it out and sanitizing it under the steaming water with some soap.
He heard sneezing from behind him and turned to see Clara clutching her chest with one arm again while she sneezed into the other. He ran to the corner of the room and grabbed some toilet paper, rushing to her side to deposit it in her lap. She gave him a grateful look and quickly tore off a piece blowing her nose into it.
"Oh my Clara. You just had to get germs all over yourself didn't you? I just spent the last half hour cleaning you off and making sure your body was free from all bacteria."
"Sorry." She apologized before blowing her nose again, tossing the used tissue onto the ground.
"These go into the dustbin Clara, not the floor of my Tardis." He reprimanded, gingerly picking up the gross things from the ground. "And you wonder why you two have such a rocky relationship." He grumbled as he discarded her used snot rags.
She tried not to smile, but failed. He was all flustered and frustrated and he looked so cute. She almost laughed at that thought. She'd never thought of him as cute before but he was. He was cute and adorable while being extremely sexy and charming at the same time.
"You know…rather than walk around the Tardis in those clothes you could just strip down to your underwear. Then we'll be matching." She suggested with a sly smile.
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" He asked with a shake of his head.
"Maybe." She replied with a cough. "But really it's just logical."
She watched as he seemed to be debating whether or not he should. He cocked his head to the side and made a face that she could only determine was him saying, 'why not'. She watched him strip out of his soggy clothes and couldn't but think about how fine he looked, with the occasional naughty thought. Her lips turned up into a smile and she propped her head up on on her fists, enjoying the view.
"A normal man would be blushing by now under the heat of your gaze." The Doctor suddenly spoke, a small smirk on his lips.
"Oh, don't you worry Doctor. When I'm all better I'll make you blush until you turn redder than a Zygon." Clara winked at him but her attempts at being seductive failed when she was overcome by another bout of coughing.
"My Clara, always trying to be in control." He said with a small smile on his lips, pushing her out of the room. "Walking around in my underwear is weird."
"So walking around in your underwear is weird, but it's okay to go around naked?" She asked with an eyebrow cocked.
The Doctor let out a groan. "That isn't me. Okay? He already didn't know how to dress himself properly what makes you think he even knew what is socially acceptable. I like wearing clothes." He grumbled, but in a softer, sadder, tone that was meant to go unheard by Clara he muttered, "Covers up all the lines that maar this body."
Clara didn't say anything, choosing to wait until she was back in her bed and could pull him into a hug. It broke her heart hearing him say that. How could he think he was disfigured? He was beautiful. Every single line that marked his body was just a memory, a story, a mark of survival. And he had survived so much. She stayed silent, lost in her thoughts, upset by his words and wondering how she could convince him they didn't blemish his body.
He changed into comfortable clothes quickly then brought her to the medibay where they remained in silence, each too lost in their thoughts. Her fever had dropped a little but not nearly enough to break it. The Doctor gave her some intergalactic medicines that he said should help speed up her recovery but only time would tell. Once they were done he pushed her back into her room and pulled the covers back in preparation for her small body.
"You really should put on some clothes you know. You're only fighting against your body's coping mechanisms. If you were to put on some tracksuit bottoms it'd be much more conducive to your condition." He finally spoke up before lifting her out of the wheelchair. When he tried to set her down Clara just held him tighter, her arms securely around his neck. "What are you doing?" He asked confused.
"Holding you close." She murmured placing a kiss to his chest. "Showing you how much I care about you." She placed another kiss on his shoulder.
"Clara." He said gently. "You need to go back in bed. You need to drink some water and rest."
"I'm not letting go until you promise to lay in bed right beside me."
"If that is what it takes to get you to bed then I'll do it."
"Promise me."
"Clara I promise." He kissed her head. "I'm not going anywhere my Love."
"Good."
"Now you're going to do me a favor and put on those tracksuit bottoms. I assume you have a pair?"
"Bottom right drawer. They're on the top." She replied as she released her hold and let him set her on the bed. He fetched the black thing for her and handed it over looking to her expectantly. She slowly put them on expending a majority of her energy doing so.
"Happy?"
"I will be in a minute when you drink down a glass of water." He replied, implying with his tone that there would be no room for argument. Clara fished the water from her night table and slowly drank the whole thing. She collapsed back in bed and popped a cough drop into her mouth.
"Bed, now." She commanded, pointing to the spot beside her. He did as obliged and got under the covers pulling her body against his. She squeaked from the unexpected movement and once again the Doctor laughed.
"That is such a beautiful sound."
"It's embarrassing is what it is." Clara replied, her cheeks turning a little more red.
"Nah." He replied kissing her cheek. Clara savored the cool feel of his lips on her face and let out a small hum of approval.
"Doctor…" Clara began softly.
"Yes my Love?" Clara turned to face him but pulled the sheet up to cover her mouth so as not to infect him.
"I heard what you said earlier and it's not true. Not at all. Your body is beautiful." She sent her hand under his shirt and didn't allow him to pull away. She found one of the wrinkles on his body and traced it lovingly. "These are not wrinkles. They are the survival lines of your life. Each one holds a story, a laugh, or a memory. They're like snowflakes, no two are the same." She watched his eyes carefully and an unknown emotion was dancing there beside one she recognized, gratitude. He pulled the sheet down, away from her face and watched confusion take place.
"What are you doing?"
"I can't very well kiss you when your mouth is hidden, now can I?" He asked in such a gentle tone that Clara couldn't think about his actions fast enough before one of his hands was caressing her face and pulling her closer to his own. Their lips touched and Clara noticed how very soft and warm they were on her own lips, unlike how cool they'd been on her cheek. It was such a tender and kindhearted kiss that it left Clara feeling nothing but light headed and giddy.
He pulled back not long after and Clara was both grateful and saddened. She'd been beginning to run out of oxygen but his lips felt so nice and she'd been wanting so long to kiss him like that.
She leaned her forehead against his and whispered, "Oh my Impossible Man, making me feel impossible things. My Doctor."
She didn't need to have her eyes open to know that he was smiling at her. She felt his smile as he pecked her lips. "My Clara." He replied nuzzling her neck and kissing her cheek.
"You're going to have no one but yourself to blame when you wind up sick as a dog just like me."
"I'll be fine." He replied cuddling with her. Clara laid her head on his chest and nuzzled her face against his neck pressing a soft kiss to it. "I still have a duty of care."
Clara drifted off as he spoke and finally fell into a peaceful sleep for a few hours.
XxxxXXxxxFluxxxXXxxxX
When Clara woke she was surprised to find her Time Lord's arms still wrapped around her and her head still lying comfortably on him. He couldn't stand to sit still for more than five minutes. And with being sick who knows how long she'd slept.
"Are you awake?" He whispered.
"Mmhm." She replied nuzzling his neck.
"I have to pee." He said quickly before letting go of her and sliding out from under her. Clara laughed at his little penguin run into her bathroom and shook her head. Who knows how long he'd been holding it in.
Clara yawned and looked over at her clock reading 9:31am. She'd slept almost thirteen hours! Had he really laid still that entire time? She rifled through her small pharmacy and took all the meds it was time for as she waited for her Doctor to walk back out. She smiled thinking about how he'd kissed her despite the risk of infection, and how they now were officially a couple. Her smile brightened another notch before her stomach ruined the moment. She quickly rolled over until her head was over the side and grabbed the bin with a hand before hurling the water and bile from her body. She heard the Doctor come running over to her and he gathered up her hair and held it off her face and neck as she continued to heave.
When it was over she slowly removed her face from the bin and met his concerned gaze. "You shouldn't still be throwing up. The medicine I had the Tardis give you is supposed to take away the nausea."
"It's okay Doctor. Medicine isn't a miracle worker. It can't suddenly cure me of the flu. It's going to take time." She assured wiping her mouth with a tissue before discarding it into the bin. He frowned and let her hair fall as she leaned back onto the bed. Her body, specifically her lungs were protesting the action of having expelled what little nutrients she had from her body.
He caressed her face and moved a hand through her hair, stroking her lovingly. "I don't like seeing you so ill. It makes my hearts ache."
"Is that why you laid still under me for almost thirteen hours?"
"Felt like much longer than that. I started feeling my muscles cramp up. I've never laid for that long before."
"Doctor…you didn't have to stay with me. I know how you are." She took his hand in hers and began to trace it with a finger, memorizing every notch in his hand, every bone, the feel of his skin.
"I liked holding you though. You kept murmuring my name. I assumed you were dreaming. And then you kept making these happy little noises and…I tried to leave but I couldn't. Not after you moaned the words 'I love you my Doctor.' I figured you were having a fever dream." Clara blushed a deep shade of red. She didn't remember dreaming about him, let alone in that way. She wished now she did remember it. She wondered what it would feel like, what it would be like to hear him cry out that he loves her at the peak of ecstasy. She blushed a little more thinking about that and had to look away from him.
His hand tilted her chin up till her eyes met his eyes and he gazed at her for a moment. His eyes were searching hers and getting lost in her affections. She watched as he tried so hard to imprint every detail about her face on his hearts and in his mind. She lost her breath under his intense scrutiny of her face and when he spoke, she cried.
"I love you My Clara." The way he said it, the way he was looking at her, it made her emotional dam break and tears began to flow from her eyes. His voice was filled with adoration and the way he said it, it wasn't a declaration or a confession. It was an eternal promise and his eyes affirmed that.
"I love you too…My Doctor." She replied, a teary eyed smile on her face. He smiled at her too, now understanding how she could be crying and still smile. They were happy tears. He remembered her telling him as such. He leaned down and caressed her lips with his own not caring about her sickness. He'd waited long enough and he wasn't going to wait any longer. It was a tender kiss and it was passionate. It was her way of saying that his promise went both ways, that she would love him for eternity as well. All too soon it ended as Clara ripped her lips from his and began to cough unable to stop until her lungs could no longer cough without air.
"Oh my Love. I wish you were better." He spoke running his fingers through her hair. "I would make love to you right here, right now if you weren't so ill."
He watched shock go through Clara's eyes first followed shortly by disappointment. "Stupid, stupid flu." She muttered. He couldn't help but laugh at that and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"I'm going to pop out and get you something for breakfast. You need to be eating if you want to get better. You need nutrients to build your strength back up again my Love so I can snog you properly and do all the things I want to."
"The feeling is mutual." She all but growled looking at him with pure desire in her eyes. He smiled and peppered kisses over her face before finally pecking her lips.
"I'll be back in just a moment with some chicken noodle soup." He assured squeezing her hand before turning his back to go to the Tardis.
"Doctor!" She called out.
"Yes my Clara?" He asked turning back around. She bit her lip and was silent for a moment before speaking.
"I love you."
"I love you too, light of my life." He replied enjoying the cute little giggle that came from her after he called her what had been in his heart for so long.
XxxxXXxxxFluxxxXXxxxX
Three days had passed and Clara was starting to look and feel a little better with her Time Lord's special care. They were sitting on the couch, Clara in his lap, watching Pride and Prejudice when the Doctor sneezed. Clara looked at him worriedly but he brushed off her concern. There was absolutely no way he had caught her flu. It wasn't possible after all. They snuggled back in and finished the rest of the movie, the Doctor confident that he was fine, not giving the sneeze a second thought.
XxxxXXxxxFluxxxXXxxxX
Another week passed by and Clara was up and about, feeling more like her usual self, so it was declared that they would have their first official date night. Not wanting to take any chances the Doctor made the executive decision that they would be sticking to dinner in her flat and a movie afterwards. The Doctor had insisted that rather than one of them cook for the other they cook together as it would be more fun for the both of them and more memorable. Of course since there wasn't much in Clara's fridge they just wound up making grilled cheese sandwiches and having some crisps. Neither minded and in fact it had been one of Clara's more enjoyable dates already. They laughed and shared stories and there was an exchange of 'I Love You's' before they cleaned up dinner and went to settle down on her couch.
The Doctor was picking out the movie as Clara made popcorn when he suddenly called out, "Clara!", before he took off running. When Clara went to find him she found him in her bathroom throwing up the meal they had just finished eating.
"Oh Doctor." She said, hating to see him look so miserable. She knelt down beside him and rubbed his back with one hand, running a hand through his fluffy curls with the other. "I'm here Baby. It's okay." She soothed as he retched again and again.
"I think you may have been right." He said miserably when he'd finally finished throwing up. She kept massaging his scalp with her fingers, holding him close to her.
"I knew this would happen to you. I shouldn't have let you keep kissing me." She said beginning to beat herself up. She'd been so selfish to do that to him.
"No! I wanted to. I'm glad you let me." He said weakly before turning his head and throwing up some more.
"Oh my Doctor." She said softly. Her heart broke hearing the miserable sound from him, and she wondered if this is what it had been like for him the past week and a half. "Would my medicine help you at all?" She asked trying her best to soothe him. He shook his head that was still buried just above the loo.
"The Tardis will have something."
"Are you going to be able to make it there?"
He nodded his head. "Just need to take the bin with me."
"You stay here. I'm going to get that wheelchair and then the bin. This time it's my turn to take care of you, and you will not be receiving any mouth kisses from me so long as you are infected." She instructed. The Doctor frowned and his eyebrows creased in disdain.
"But I like kissing you."
She gave him a small smile. "I like kissing you too, but I'm not going to get sick again. How can we ever sleep together if we're stuck in a constant cycle of one of us having the flu?"
He frowned but consented seeing the logic in her denying him his only pleasure. "Okay. But I'm not going to like it."
"I never said I would either, but it's necessary. Now, stop talking so I can leave to take care of you."
He kept his mouth shut and waited for her to return to take him to the Tardis. Once in the medibay it took all of a minute for the old girl to confirm what Clara and The Doctor knew to be true. He had the flu. Clara administered the medicine and made sure to take a lot with her. This time she would take care of him with every ounce of the same amount of care he showed her. She wheeled him off to his bedroom in the Tardis and helped him get comfortable. The rest of their date had been cancelled by her to be rescheduled when he was feeling better. Once she got him into bed and satisfied his every request she kissed him on the forehead and left to change into her pajamas. When Clara returned she settled into bed next to the Doctor and kissed him goodnight on the cheek.
XxxxXXxxxFluxxxXXxxxX
"Clara." He moaned, thrashing the covers off of him in a heated frenzy. "No! No! Take me, not her!" He yelled, limbs kicking out.
"Doctor! Doctor wake up!" Clara shouted over him, trying to shake him awake from his nightmare. He was covered in sweat, whimpering, and just from holding him Clara could tell the fever was hitting him at full force.
"No! Please!" He shouted, tears beginning to stream from his closed eyes.
"Doctor I'm right here, it's okay. Just wake up, please." She cried, her heart aching as she watched him struggle through his nightmare.
"I love you! I love you! Don't leave me please Clara, don't die!" He was in full on hysterics, limbs flying every which way and he almost punched Clara in the face.
"How do I wake him up? Please, help me." She called out to the Tardis, her own tears beginning to fall on his exposed chest. The Tardis however was silent and she watched in agony as the love of her life went through his fever dream.
"Clara, please. I don't know how to live without you. Please. I'll die without you." There were tears beginning to flood his face and sheets.
Clara grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight doing the only thing she could think to do. She planted a hard kiss on his lips willing him out of his hellish state, and pried open his lips hoping the presence of her tongue would rouse him. For a moment nothing happened but then she felt his hand come up and hold her head as his own tongue began to duel with hers. Overcome with relief and joy Clara poured her emotions into the kiss and didn't part from him until she couldn't breathe. Her own tears were dropping onto his face and even in the dark she could see the terror his eyes held.
"I'm real. It's okay, it was just a nightmare. I'm right here my Love." She said running her hands over his face and through his hair, tears still falling from her face. "I'm not dying; I'm never going to leave you. I love you. I can't live without you either. I love you." Clara kept touching his face and his hair, leaving kisses over every inch of exposed skin.
He pulled her down on top of his chest and crushed her in a hug, sighing into her hair. "I love you my Clara."
"I love you too my Doctor." She replied kissing above his hearts.
"Thank you for waking me up." He said softly, stroking her back.
"I didn't know what else to do. You weren't responding to my voice or to me shaking you."
"So you decided to snog me?" He asked with amusement.
"Only thing I could think of. It works in the movies. Glad to see it worked tonight. I don't think I could have handled much more of seeing you so distraught." She murmured kissing his chest again.
"I hate to ruin the moment but could you get some cool rags and wipe me down? I'm burning up."
"I'm sure laying on top of you isn't helping either."
"It is. It's helping one part of me. It's calming me down." Clara raised her head and met his eyes. She gave a small smile and pecked his lips.
"I thought you said no mouth kisses?"
"Last one." She said just before kissing him one last time. It was gentle and sweet and a simple display of the deep seated love they held for one another. "I'll be right back Love." Clara climbed off of him and went into his bathroom finding some washcloths and running cold water over them. She made sure to wring them out before going back into his room with them. "Roll over." She instructed him. He wordlessly complied, offering the expanse of his back to her. She ran the cloth over his body and watched how he shivered at the contact. She kissed the pits of his back and the many dips where the muscles connected and he shivered for a whole other reason. When his chest was also wiped down and the other cool rag was splayed over his forehead Clara laid down beside him and rest her head on his chest.
"Thank you." He mumbled, his eyes falling close again.
"Sleep my love." She whispered in his ear. He listened and moments later she heard the resting heart beat of her beloved Time Lord.
XxxxXXxxxFluxxxXXxxxX
"I take it back Clara." He moaned rolling around in his bed as Clara stood over him waiting to administer his medicine. "Death is nothing like this. Time Lords got it wrong. The flu is so much worse. This is hell. How did you do this on your own for a day?"
Clara couldn't help but be a little amused even if she hated seeing him in so much pain. It was his own fault he was sick. "I've done it before I ever knew you as well."
"I take back every mean thing I've ever said about sick humans. You aren't weak at all, just make it go away. Everything hurts."
"Aw, my poor little Time Lord. Lay still and let me give you your medicine so you can start to feel better." She soothed, pushing his hair off his face. He whimpered but did as was told and swallowed the icky syrup.
He made a face that had Clara burst into laughter as he began to cough from disgust. "What is that poison?!"
"It's called Robitussin and it's for your throat." He shook his head as if that would get rid of the yucky taste in his mouth. "Eat this." She offered a cracker to him and he took it, grateful to taste anything but the horrendous medicine.
As he nibbled the cracker Clara wiped his chest and face with a cool rag to try and counter-act the sweating. "Thank you Clara." He said softly when finished with the cracker.
"There's no where I'd rather be dear Doctor." She replied gently pressing her lips to his forehead. "Try and nap."
"But I don't want to. That's all I've been doing, is sleeping. I don't think I've slept so much in my life as I have the past two days."
"Too bad. Listen to your nurse. She knows what she's talking about."
"Will you lay with me?"
"Are you going to actually sleep if I lay with you and not stare at me the whole time?" She questioned with an eyebrow raised.
"I told you, you looked so peaceful and beautiful, I couldn't bear to not watch you sleep."
"Doctor." She threatened.
"Fine. I promise I'll sleep this time." He pouted.
She smiled and clambered into bed laying her head on his chest the way she knew he liked, and pressed a kiss to his neck with a sigh as she held onto him. He wrapped his own arms around her and a sound came from his throat that Clara could only describe as a purr. She turned her head to look up at him and laughed delightedly.
"That was the cutest noise I've ever heard you make."
"I didn't make a noise." He protested.
"Yes you did. I kissed your neck and you purred like a cat and it was the cutest noise I've ever heard. I wonder what other noises I can elicit from you." She said in a low curious voice, biting her lip as all the naughty thoughts filled her head.
"Hey! Keep it PG Miss Oswald. I can't do anything like this." The Doctor said just a bit disappointed that he couldn't act on his feelings yet.
"Well then hurry up and get better Time Lord." She countered poking his chest.
"I'm trying." He pouted.
"Who would have thought my Doctor could be so domestic and such a romantic." She mused with a smile on her lips.
"It just required a woman's healing touch to cultivate the emotional side." He replied in a far away state. Clara looked and saw that his eyes were closed and she smiled, happy that he was resting. Their time would come soon enough.
XxxxXXxxxFluxxxXXxxxX
1 Week Later
"Clara come on, I'm better now. We can finally go somewhere! I've been trapped on the same planet for almost three weeks. I have cabin fever. I can finally take you to Couples Cave."
"No. We're staying put another day so I feel better tomorrow about letting you whisk me off somewhere. And you could have left me like I told you to and then you would have never been sick." She countered knowing he knew just how grateful she was that he had stayed.
"Never. I'd do it all over again for you." He replied sidling up next to her and drawing her into his arms so he could kiss her properly for the first time in over a week. Clara smiled and let herself get loss in his embrace and his touch. She'd missed being able to kiss him and now that they were both healthy they didn't have to stop at just kissing.
"You know…" Clara began when she pulled back for air. "There are other ways we can entertain ourselves here in the Tardis. Other more…pleasurable ways." She seductively whispered in his ear.
The Doctor grinned. "Yes…there are my Love." He replied, swiftly picking her up into his arms. Clara laughed lighthearted as he carried her into his bedroom.
"I love you." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I love you too and I'm going to show you just how much." He replied with a kiss to her lips as he walked into his room.
He closed the door with his foot and his hearts began to beat faster. This was it. This was when they'd finally reach the peak of intimacy and they'd cross that threshold together. Having the flu was terrible but he was thankful it had happened to his Clara because if not he may have never gained the courage he needed to finally confess to her his deep well of emotions.
XxxxXXxxxEndxxxXXxxxX