A/N: Hello! Well, I haven't written any fanfiction in ages, and this is actually my first crack at a Doctor Who story, but I'm so enthralled by the Twelve/Clara relationship and dynamic that I couldn't help myself. I hope you like it - it's pretty fluffy and there's a lot of kissing going on, but that's good right? It's set just after "The Caretaker". I hope it's not too awful. Please let me know your thoughts, you wonderful people.

Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine, obvs.

Time Lords Kiss Better Than Soldiers

She found him. She always found him. He didn't even know why he bothered hiding sometimes. As he crouched down in a deserted corridor of Coal Hill, tinkering with some pipes for no real reason, a pair of familiar legs in familiar black tights approached his side.

"I thought I asked for humans to stop bothering me," the Doctor said, not looking up at his companion. He was still annoyed with her and he knew if he looked up and met her soft, kind brown eyes all that anger would dissipate in an instant.

"Surely I don't count?" she said lightly "I'm your favourite human."

Her tone was light and teasing and he knew she was trying to be cute, trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah, well I've met a young lass called Disruptive Influence that might just overtake you if you're not careful," he said and tightened a bolt with his spanner a bit more forcefully than he needed to.

"Doctor," she said with a sigh, her resilience fading. "Please talk to me."

"About what, Clara?!" he said, his voice raising as he stood up and met her eyes. "About the fact you've got a new soldire boyfriend? About the fact you'd told him nothing about me? About the fact that after everything you'd rather defend him over me?"

Clara closed her eyes, his words feeling like a punch in the gut.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," she said quietly.

"Of course. I'm the Doctor, right?" he said with a shrug and a wry laugh. "Two hearts of stone, no empathy, no emotion. How could I possibly have feelings to hurt?"

Then the school bell rang and classrooms started to empty, the halls humming with chatter again. Before anyone could see them, Clara grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him into the caretaker's cupboard next to them, slamming the door behind them. It was certainly...cosy in there. The air between them was thick and hot and Clara could feel the heat radiating from the Doctor's body in the small space. It took all her energy not to push him against the shelves.

He reached above her head and flicked a switch, his eyes never leaving hers. The dim bulb above flickered on, illuminating the shelves and mops and the deep lines on the Doctor's face. Clara felt a pang of guilt again. She sighed and tried not to think about how close he was to her.

"I didn't want you and Danny to meet like that."

"What, did you want the three of us to sit down to a nice dinner and talk about the weather?"

"No," Clara snapped "I just didn't want it to be when there was a massive alien wandering about trying to obliterate us all!"

"Well, I don't like soldiers, end of, so I can't see me and PE getting on anytime soon. Honestly, Clara, I think you've made a huge boyfriend error here-"

"Well I'm sorry, Doctor," Clara interrupted him, her voice raising as she became frustrated. "I didn't realise I had to run everything by you - you're my father. I don't understand why you're acting so over-protective and jealous..."

"Because I'm in love with you, Clara!" he said loudly, surprising both himself and Clara. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat, his words hanging in the air between them.

The Doctor breathed and continued, his voice softening again. "I always have been, can't you see that? So when I see you with solider boy, it makes my skin crawl and my hearts sink to the pit of my stomach and my throat tighten so much I think I'll stop breathing - if that's what jealously feels like, then yes, I am incredibly jealous. "

Clara looked at him, unable to believe these words were coming from the Doctor, her Doctor, the man who shied away from intimacy and appeared so stoic and steely. He loved her. His eyes had softened now, as if a huge weight had lifted off his shoulders.

Feeling braver, he moved closer to her, his voice softer now. "And I know I've been an idiot, I know I push you away but it's only because I'm not very good at...this," He shifted closer so he could feel her breath on his neck and his long fingers pushed her hair away from her face. "I need you, Clara."

Clara closed her eyes, her hands finding the edges of his brown coat, tugging his body closer as he pressed his forehead against hers. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, feel his thumb graze her cheek and all she could think was how much she had longed for this, for him.

"You don't get to do that," she breathed.

"Do what?" he whispered, his mouth so close to hers he could almost taste her.

"Confess your love for me in a bloody janitor's closet of all places," she said, a smile on her lips as she smoothed her palms up his chest, needing to feel him under her hands.

He smiled one of his rare smiles and rubbed his nose against hers affectionately.

"I can't work out if I want to smack you or kiss you," she teased, her fingers reaching up to curl into his grey hair.

He laughed a little. "Well could you make your mind up?" he pressed. "And if it's any consolation, I'd prefer if it was the latter." His voice was deep and silky, his Scottish lilt sending shivers up her spine.

Clara opened her eyes, meeting his gaze and his smile that made her go weak at the knees. Here he was, standing in front of her, pressed against her in a janitor's closet, asking her to kiss him. She took a moment to let that reality wash over her before tugging at his hair to close the small gap between them.

She placed one slow, deliberate kiss on his lips, testing, tasting, teasing his bottom lip into her mouth. She felt his body push against hers a little more as he towered over her, so much she had to tilt her chin up to stay in contact. His mouth hovered just above hers, breath mingling as he gave her a brief moment to decide if this is what she really wanted. When Clara stroked the hair at the nape of his neck and nudged his nose with hers, encouraging him, the Doctor smiled and curled his arms around her small waist and he kissed her properly, like he should have done months ago, years ago. He enjoyed the way she melted against his body and her mouth opened underneath his, responding eagerly to his kisses. She stroked his neck and whimpered softly when his hands found the gap of warm skin at the small of her back between her top and her skirt, pulling her closer against him.

He pulled away a little and smiled, resting his forehead against hers. He exhaled, almost breathing a sigh of relief, making Clara laugh softly. Before he could lean down and kiss her again, Clara placed his hand on his chest and she saw the smile fall and fear flash in his eyes briefly as she stopped him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and the Doctor took a step back.

"No, no, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so forward, God, I'm such an idiot-"

Clara stopped his rambling by grasping his coat and pulling him against her again. For those brief seconds, she missed his warmth of his body. The Doctor looked at her, his eyes desperately searching hers. Clara rested her hand against his cheek, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she looked at this wonderful, brilliant man. How could she have almost let him go?

"I'm sorry for earlier. I'm sorry for being so insensitive and hurting you." She sighed deeply, taking comfort in the fact the Doctor's hands were at her hips again. "I'm sorry for what happened with Danny." she said gently and the Doctor looked away at the mention of his name. "I got tired of waiting..."

"I know, I'm a silly old fool and-"

Clara stopped his mouth by kissing him again. "Will you stop interrupting me!?" she said with a small chuckle.

Clara let her hand find his, slotting their fingers together She let out a shaky breath, trying to prevent her voice from betraying her and letting her emotion seep out.

"I got tired of waiting to get over you, to stop feeling how I was feeling." She felt his hand squeeze hers. "So I tried to move on, in case you really had closed that door forever." She looked at him and waited for him to meet her eyes. "But in that school hall today, I saw something in your eyes I've not seen before." Sadness, longing, regret, love. Her thumb smoothed over his cheek and she smiled sadly. "And I knew that I was kidding myself because I'm never going to get over you, Doctor."

He closed his eyes and felt Clara's warm lips on his cheek, lingering against his skin. Then she pulled his body against hers tightly.

"Now," she whispered hotly into his ear with a teasing grin on her lips, "kiss me like you want me."

The Doctor shivered, her hot breath against his neck. Hands against her hips, he pushed her against the shelves, making her squeak in surprise. His passion and his fire was beginning to show.

"Gladly," he purred and crushed his mouth against hers, letting the years of pent up desire, need, and love pour into her.

Clara wound her arms around his neck, fingers pushing into his hair as he kissed her hungrily, his tongue sliding across hers and his teeth gently grazing her bottom lip. His hands moved down her thighs, drawing her knee up and against his side so he could shift closer to her, fingers teasing the hem of her skirt. Clara moaned softly, rolling her hips against his, wanting to feel him in ways she'd only fantasied about. She knew one thing for sure - Time Lords kiss better than soldiers.

He paused for a breath and noticed her flushed cheeks and satisfied smile which made him smile in return - he was sure he'd done more smiling in the last 20 minutes than he'd done in months. Her slightly tousled hair, her beautifully swollen lips, her wide, loving eyes - he wanted her more than ever. But not here, not in a bloody janitors closet of all places. She deserved so much more than that.

He lowered his head and kissed her exposed neck, smiling against her skin when she gasped softly and curled her fingers into his hair.

"Let's get out of the awful cupboard," he said against her neck "It smells like bleach and mop water." Clara laughed against him.

He spoke in between kiss that trailed up to her ear. "We can go anywhere you want, anywhere in the universe - you tell me and I'll take you."

At her silence, the Doctor drew back to look at her. She met his eyes and bit her lip and he was sure it was the most adorably sexy thing he'd ever seen.

"Can we go to my flat round the corner?" she asked, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

He smiled. "Sounds good to me."