"Comes With the Job" Doctor Who (12th Doctor)

[matilda3948]

Hi all I haven't been around much lately--some very difficult real life issues to sort through but "Doctor Who" is my comfort show and I came up with this one-shot I wanted to share. Sick 12 and Clara. I'm in love with 12.

*

He really needed to disconnect the phone on the TARDIS. Or change the number. Was that even possible? The Doctor wondered to himself as he cut across the console and snatched up the receiver.

“What?”

“Oh! Sounds like you’re in a mood,” Clara said.

“I am not in a mood.”

“Whatever you say,” she said, moving through her living room gathering up what she wanted to take with her on the TARDIS. “Where are you? We were supposed to leave two hours ago.” She heard a muffled noise like the phone was rubbing against something. A few more seconds of rustling and then he answered.

“Why are you calling?” he asked. Clara frowned and sighed.

“You said you were going to pick me up at nine this morning. It’s nearly eleven. What’s going on?

The Doctor sniffed once and held his breath. He’d been able to press the phone against his jacket a few moments ago when he had to sneeze, but he realized there were only so many times he could do that in a single conversation before she’d demand an explanation.

“Right. Lost track of time.”

“Well get over here,” she teased. “We’ve got places to go, planets to see.”

The Doctor rubbed a hand over his face and sighed.

“Any chance we can reschedule for next week?” he asked.

“Hmm…nope. You’ve got three minutes.” She hung up and grabbed her purse. He considered trying to just wait until he was over whatever god-awful illness had swept through his body, then go back in time to this moment and pick her up, but the pounding in his head made the calculations go fuzzy and he decided to go with a simpler route. He’d go to her house, she’d take one look at him, and decide there was no way she was going anywhere near the sniffling, sneezing, slightly drippy time lord. Of course, there was the alternative possibility: she might hug him. He shuddered and began flipping switches around the console.

Clara smiled as the familiar noise of the TARDIS filled her flat. He even managed to avoid crushing any of her furniture.

“Doctor?” she called out as she came inside and shut the door. “Where are you?” A strained, wet outburst to the left of her drew her attention and she found the Doctor sitting on the stairs leading up to one of the landings. Clara frowned as she walked up to him—he looked awful. She bit her lip to keep from saying it out loud and sat down on the steps next to him. “Doctor? You okay?” she asked. He nodded but it was half-hearted at best. As much as she wanted to keep asking questions, Clara reminded herself that sometimes she had to simply wait until he was ready. Based on the deep purples shadows beneath his eyes and the slump of his shoulder, she could tell he was exhausted. She watched as the straight line of his nose was interrupted by a sniffle and then he slowly rubbed the tip of his nose with his index finger. The wrinkles around his eyes and the crease in his forehead deepened as he inhaled deeply once, then again before

huhIHNGshhh!

“Bless you,” she said. Sick then. The Doctor grunted something that may have been meant as a thank you and cleared his throat. He looked like he was about to say something when Clare saw his face go slack, those crazy eyebrows reaching up towards his hairline as his breathing hitched softly but with increasing urgency. His hands were cupped in anticipation about a foot away from his face and after a moment’s pause his body lurched forward, hands coming up to catch the sneeze.

huh hhihhGNSHHH!

It wasn’t a terribly loud sneeze but it seemed to take a disproportionate amount of energy from him. A liquid sniffle and he lowered his hands.

“Bless you,” Clara said.

“Save your breath,” he grunted. “I’m not sure if it ever stops,” he said, tapping the side of his nose. No sooner had he done so than the appendage in question twitched and the Doctor ducked his head into his elbow.

huhhIHSNSHHH! hhihhNTSHHH!

“Bless you. That sounds nasty,” Clare said. She glanced around and saw a box of tissues on the floor next to one of the upholstered chairs by the bookcase on the landing. When she walked over she saw that the Doctor had been spending some time in this spot—there was a cotton blanket tossed in the chair and a teacup sitting on the edge of the bookshelf. “You were resting when I called,” she said, sitting back down and pulling a fair handful of tissues from the box for him. He nodded and took the tissues from her, pressing them to his nose. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?” she asked.

It was a good question and one he didn’t quite have an answer for. It certainly would have been simpler. The Doctor knew it wasn’t likely that she’d leave him on his own once he saw how ill he was…and maybe that was the point.

“How long have you been feeling bad?” Clara asked. He cleared his throat.

“Three, four days maybe. Hard to tell. You know…”

“Yeah—time machine. Doctor? Why didn’t you call me?”

“For what?”

Clara was taken aback. Did he really not understand? Really think she’d leave him on his own to suffer through what looked to be the worst head cold in the universe?

“I’d have looked after you,” she said.

“I don’t need you to look after me,” he said, bringing the crumpled tissues up to his nose.

ihh huhIHNXshhh!

“I can see that. Bless you, by the way.”

He hadn’t lowered the tissues yet but did his best to glare at her even though his eyes resisted staying open as he felt another sneeze quickly approaching.

“Oh, even your intimidating face is under the weather,” she said.

HuhIHNSHHH! GNTSHHHoo! hhihhNTSCHHH!

He immediately blew his nose before resting his head in his hands, raking his fingers through his hair.

“You need to lay down,” Clara said. He seemed to curl around himself as a raspy cough was muffled into his fist. Before she could think better of it, Clara reached over and began to rub slow circles between the Doctor’s shoulder blades. To her surprise, he didn’t move away once the coughing stopped. If anything, he inched slightly closer to her as he dropped his head and massaged his temples. Deciding to press her luck, Clara laid a hand on the back of his neck for a brief moment before applying more pressure and rubbing the knots in his neck. He looked all of his many, many years in that moment.

The Doctor pressed his fingertips into the space just below his eyes, his sinuses throbbing. He heard Clara say something about needing to go lay down and, while he agreed in theory, he couldn’t seem to summon the energy to stand up. He was contemplating the possibility of sleeping on the stairs when he began to cough—the effort tearing at his throat. As the spasms eased up, he felt Clara rubbing his back. While he normally bristled at this kind of contact, it felt…not altogether terrible. Her cool fingers pressed against the back of his neck probably checking to see if he had a fever (he definitely did) and then she began to massage his neck. He sighed—so tired. It seemed to take every ounce of energy he had to lift his head and look at her. The Doctor frowned.

“Your eyes are doing a thing,” he said, his voice hoarse and thick.

“A thing?”

“It’s not the sad thing; I know that one. But they’re wide and ahh huhh…” He curled a fist against his nose and held his breath. When he opened his eyes he found Clara’s eyes had only increased doing the thing. “It’s—huhIHHSHHH!” The moment he tried to speak he had to twist away from her, sneezing suddenly. HuhhIhh…hhuhhGNSHHH!

“Bless you.” She put a couple tissues within easy reach. He got them to his nose just in time.

huhhIHSNSHHH! hhihhNTSHHHoo!

“Bless you, Doctor!” She waited until he was sure he was done and then explained. “It’s a concerned thing,” she said. “You know? A bit of a worried thing?”

“Hmm. A worried thing,” he said to himself. She bumped his shoulder with her own.

“I am your care-er after all. Comes with the job.”

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

HHHNNNNNNNNGGGG LOVE!!!!

[MoonDuck]

Matildaaaaaaa I hope you feel better soon.

This is a great fic, thanks for posting it! The Doctor and Clara sound really in character, it's like I can hear their voices in my head. I like how he's all stubborn and even kind of rude at first but then lets Clara try to make him feel better.

He looked like he was about to say something when Clare saw his face go slack, those crazy eyebrows reaching up towards his hairline as his breathing hitched softly but with increasing urgency. His hands were cupped in anticipation about a foot away from his face and after a moment’s pause his body lurched forward, hands coming up to catch the sneeze.

huh hhihhGNSHHH!

It wasn’t a terribly loud sneeze but it seemed to take a disproportionate amount of energy from him.

All good description throughout the fic, I especially like this one.

He considered trying to just wait until he was over whatever god-awful illness had swept through his body, then go back in time to this moment and pick her up, but the pounding in his head made the calculations go fuzzy and he decided to go with a simpler route.

And thanks for addressing that, it would've bothered me a lot if you didn't.

[luckyleprechaun]

I've already read this through twice and may I just say…

Wow.

!!!!

Matildaaaaaaa I hope you feel better soon.

This is a great fic, thanks for posting it! The Doctor and Clara sound really in character, it's like I can hear their voices in my head. I like how he's all stubborn and even kind of rude at first but then lets Clara try to make him feel better.

He looked like he was about to say something when Clare saw his face go slack, those crazy eyebrows reaching up towards his hairline as his breathing hitched softly but with increasing urgency. His hands were cupped in anticipation about a foot away from his face and after a moment’s pause his body lurched forward, hands coming up to catch the sneeze.

huh hhihhGNSHHH!

It wasn’t a terribly loud sneeze but it seemed to take a disproportionate amount of energy from him.

All good description throughout the fic, I especially like this one.

He considered trying to just wait until he was over whatever god-awful illness had swept through his body, then go back in time to this moment and pick her up, but the pounding in his head made the calculations go fuzzy and he decided to go with a simpler route.

And thanks for addressing that, it would've bothered me a lot if you didn't.

I agree with all of this.

[cally]

Of course, there was the alternative possibility: she might hug him. He shuddered and began flipping switches around the console.

This line absolutely wins it, along with this close contender:

those crazy eyebrows reaching up towards his hairline as his breathing hitched softly but with increasing urgency.

This was brilliant and adorable and so wonderfully in character. I really enjoyed it.

[IcyFlame]

Wow I wish I could multi quote, but I'm on mobile so let me just say you are a well-phrased writer and I loved it all. I actually slowed down my impossibly fast reading speed so I could savor it, and the last time I did that it was my favorite book; so it stands to reason that I enjoy this as much as an actual book. Good job!

[VoOs]

Oh, Twelve... This makes me very, very, very happy. Thank you for posting. <3

[Vongola Undicesimo]

He’d go to her house, she’d take one look at him, and decide there was no way she was going anywhere near the sniffling, sneezing, slightly drippy time lord.

Silly Doctor, you know Clara better than that!

This is absolutely wonderful. The two of them are such cutie patooties.

[Fuzzy&Warm]

I know this story is old, but I've just started dabbling in Doctor Who and wanted to read some snzfic content for it and came across this fic and I just wanted to say how lovely I think it is.  The descriptions are on point, the character's voices are so good, and it's just really cozy.  Thank you for writing this   

[TheCakeIsAlive]

I'm glad this story got revived because now I saw it and it's so very much spot on and awwww.   Love it so much. I could absolutely hear their voices in my head reading this even though I haven't watched anything with them since the last episode with 12 came out. 

Also glad you solved the "why doesn't he just get better and return a few minutes later" dilemma explicitly, because that would have bothered me as well.