I wanted me some Twelve/Clara fluff. :3 And so this story bloomed. :)

Enjoy!

It was too quiet in the TARDIS. The Doctor normally didn't mind the silence (he had gotten used to it,) but today, the quiet was seemingly...attentive. It seemed to make itself known, and the Doctor hated that. It crawled up his skin and wrapped its arms tightly around him and hung around him like a stalking shadow. Of course, the TARDIS had also been pretty quiet after Clara Oswald walked out on him.

"Nope!" She had shouted angrily over her shoulder last Wednesday. "Do yourself a favor, Doctor, and don't ever call me again if you're going to use me like that!" The Doctor had, naturally, thought that Clara wasn't being serious. He didn't bother running after her, thinking that she would come back next Wednesday. The spat would be forgotten and all would be well.

But no, Clara had ignored the Doctor and stormed out of the room. And despite the Doctor's various ways of trying to get her attention, Clara remained as angry and stubborn as ever.

At first, the Doctor didn't even know why Clara was so mad at him - fine, there might have been a few explosions here and there, but that was normal! Alright, maybe a few people might have gotten in the crossfire, but the Doctor saw that coming - and those deaths ended up helping the Doctor and Clara closer to the solution of the problem. And yes, maybe the Doctor accidentally-on-purpose left Clara alone in the humongous facility, but he wasn't ever going to leave her there! He would come back for her, and he thought she knew that!

Obviously not well enough, the Doctor thought bitterly as he toyed with a bit of chalk in his hands. He sighed and leaned over the railing.

It was still too quiet.

Am I going to have to actually apologize now? The Doctor thought incredulously to himself. Actually, properly apologize? He drummed his fingers against the cool metal and thought, Fine - I'll give her an explanation and then apologize. Clara will have to forgive me then, right?

"Right?" He repeated aloud, though only (again) silence remained.

Grumbling under his breath, the Doctor headed for the console - one apology coming up, Clara, he thought.

xXx

The first thought that the Doctor had when he appeared in Clara's apartment was that it was raining outside. Actually, really raining outside - with big, fat droplets and thunder and the whole nine yards.

And Clara was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in her bedroom, or the kitchen, or even the bathroom. (Yes, the Doctor checked - yes, he made sure that the shower wasn't running. He had a bit more respect for Clara's privacy than that.)

It wasn't until the Doctor caught sight of a small checklist on Clara's fridge did he find out where he might want to look.

"Go to the grocery store," the Doctor read aloud, plucking the bit of paper from the fridge. He tapped his fingers against the sheet and with a satisfied nod, walked out of the apartment in search for Clara Oswald.

xXx

Clara Oswald was wrestling with two bags of groceries when she walked out of the building - she was tired and wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed and sleep, but she needed to get this work done. The last thing she wanted to see was the rain...and the Doctor.

He was drenched from head to toe in rain, though he didn't appear to mind. He actually looked rather calm, which unnerved Clara. (He really shouldn't stand out in the rain like that - what if he gets sick? How long was he standing there? Did it have to be raining today? God, she worried too much.)

"What are you doing here?" Clara asked, letting the groceries fall to the concrete with a thud. She shoved them underneath the shop's roof so it wouldn't get any rain over it, though her eyes never left the Doctor's face. She crossed her arms and said, "I thought I told you that I didn't want to see you again."

"Correction - you told me not to call you ever again if I was going to use you," the Doctor pointed out. Clara glared. "I don't care," she replied loftily. "Unless you're here to apologize or -"

"Actually, that's what I was going to do. Apologize." The Doctor interrupted.

Clara's jaws clicked to a close and she blinked, stunned at the Doctor. She lowered her arms to her sides and asked, "Really?"

"Really," the Doctor answered. He shifted his gaze to the sky and said, "I'm sorry for leaving you back there - I was going to come back for you, honest, but if you don't want me to do it again, I won't. There. I said it. I apologized." He waved his hands in the air and after a beat of silence, drew out a long, pained sigh. "Hello? Answer? Don't leave me out in the dark!"

A small smile twitched at the corner of Clara's lips - she couldn't help herself, and her anger was slowly ebbing away. It was still a rubbish apology, though, but it was more than what Clara had expected - which was none at all. In fact, just the other day, she had been sure that she wouldn't ever see her Doctor ever again. (Which was totally ridiculous, because Clara knew that the Doctor wouldn't be able to survive without her...right?)

"Don't do that again," Clara said simply and added, "And for a first apology, that was decent." She tapped a finger on her chin and went on, "I'll give you a C for effort, though."

"C? Do you know how hard it was to apologize? I deserve an A!" The Doctor immediately retorted, though at Clara's annoyed frown, he quickly covered, "Or not. Cs are good starts for first-tries."

"Better," Clara replied, satisfied. She looked up and cringed. "God, you're wet, Doctor!" She tsked, picking up her groceries. "How long have you been standing out here?" The Doctor shrugged in response. "Waiting for you to come out, I suppose," he replied.

And again, Clara smiled. She shook her head, murmuring, "What am I going to do with you, Doctor?" She shot another glance at the Doctor and collecting her nerves, tiptoed and planted a quick kiss on his forehead. Oh, her annoying, childish Doctor - always amazingly silly, always amazingly blind, even with a new face. And underneath that veneer of grumpiness and age, Clara knew that the Doctor was still there - still the cheeky, oblivious man that she had grown so used to over time. Clara was still trying to get used to the Doctor even now, and though he was certainly...different, that was okay.

Clara could work with different.

The Doctor startled, looking down at Clara with wide eyes. "What was that for?" He asked, surprise evident in his voice. Clara adjusted her grip on the groceries and replied lightly, "Dunno - maybe a little bonus point for trying?"

Laughing at the Doctor's bewildered expression, Clara held up the groceries. "C'mon," she said. "Be a gentleman and help me with these, will you?"

The Doctor didn't argue - he picked up the groceries (even though Clara had only wanted him to pick up one,) and went on his way. And perhaps this was Clara's imagination, but she was fairly sure that there was a faint rosy color rising up in the Doctor's cheeks.

She had to contain her giggles for the rest of the walk home.

A/N - Who else is totally freaking out over The Caretaker? THE WINK THE WINK THE WINK OMIGOSH HOW IS WHOUFFALDI NOT CANON?! Plus, I've been dying to read The Blood Cell and the rest of the Twelve/Clara Doctor Who novels - from all of the quotes on Tumblr, it sounds like a flipping Whouffaldi fanfiction. ONLY IT'S CANON. GAH. *grabby hands* GIMME!

Anyways, I'm calm, as you can certainly tell. XD

Reviews are great! Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not!