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“Why do you do it?”
The Doctor glanced up from the console he was currently tinkering with and raised a bushy eyebrow at his companion. Clara was sat on the jump seat, swinging her legs slightly as she looked at him, her head cocked curiously to one side and a slight frown on her face.
“Do what?” he asked as he returned most of his attention to the TARDIS controls.
“What you always do. Save people. You run around all over the universe from one plants crisis to the next, solving other peoples problems.”
He paused ever so slightly and furrowed his brow, before manoeuvring himself round the console under the guise of fixing an issue until his view of Clara was obscured by the centre. Or more accurately, so Claras view of him was obscured.
“Would you rather I didn’t save people?” he ventured, tinting his tone with feigned nonchalance.
Clara knew him well enough to see through him immediately, but refused to be side-tracked.
“Of course not. But that’s not the point. You say you just want to explore and find interesting things throughout the universe, but that’s not true. We always come across trouble wherever we go. You seek out mystery and danger like a compulsion, especially on Earth. I just wondered why that's all.”
He sighed in genuine irritation, glaring in her direction either in spite of or because he knew she wasn't able to see him.
“I’m a Time Lord, Clara. If I happen upon a situation that would benefit in my expertise and I find it worth my time, I offer my assistance- end of story.”
She laughed “You don’t exactly offer your assistance; you insist upon it whether people are agreeable to it or not. And from what I know of your lot, Time Lords weren’t exactly big on mingling with other species, let alone helping out. So c’mon Doctor I’m curious. Why?”
He stood in silence- the only sounds in the room coming from the many leavers and flashing buttons he was fiddling with- but Clara knew he wasn’t ignoring her, he was trying to come up with a response that would satisfy her enough to bring the conversation to a close. Eventually it became apparent that he had been unable to come up with anything at all and she sighed.
“I was just thinking is all. When you’re running around saving planet after planet and taking care of so many thousands of problems from so many thousands of people...who takes care of you?”
The Doctor didn’t speak for so long that Clara assumed he had again failed to come up with an adequate answer to satisfy her curiosity so had just decided to stop engaging completely. She rolled her eyes and hopped out of her seat.
“Right then, where are we off to next? I assume you’re going to find us a great big crisis for us to avert in the nick of time?”
There was a flurry of movement as The Doctor whizzed round the console again to stand beside her, flicking switches and pressing buttons as the TARDIS groaned into life again- signalling that he had chosen a destination.
“How does Türkiye in the Middle Ages sound? Perfect weather, lots of interesting people, and still a few dragons were still lurking about.” he yanked on a couple of leavers with theatrical flourish as he grinned at her.
“There is no way you’re telling me that dragons were real!” she laughed, matching his enthusiasm. He winked, pressing a few more buttons.
“Only one way to find out!” He smiled at her again, his eyes crinkling slightly. Then he looked away and made himself look busy fiddling with a leaver that Clara was pretty sure was decorative.
“That's why you’re here. You’re my carer.” he said quietly. She stared at the flashing lights in front of her for a few seconds, not quite sure how to respond. She felt him watching her from the corner of his eye, and she nodded without looking up at him.
“I care, so you don’t have to.”