Doctor Who fic: One Year Older (1/1)

[locker_monster]

Title: One Year Older (1/1)
Rating: G
Word Count: 443
Characters: Twelve, Clara
Timeline: Set post-"The Woman Who Lived" but no spoilers
Summary: The Doctor tries to celebrate Clara's birthday.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.
A/N: Entry for who_contest's "Candle" challenge. Yay, my first one! Incidentally, this came about because I couldn't figure out what year it was during season eight. Any evidence I found either pointed to 2014 or 2016.

It was a silly tradition, sticking candles on top of sugary confections to mark the date of one's birth. Why did humans feel the need to get melted wax all over a perfectly good cake?

But Clara had wanted exactly that for her birthday and the Doctor had obliged. So here he was, in the TARDIS kitchen, lighting brightly coloured candles that were shoved into the body of a cat shaped cake slathered with white frosting. Oh, the things he was willing to do for his friends.

"Looks great." Clara came up next to him just as he was lighting the last few candles. "Wait." She frowned. "Why are there 31 candles?"

"That's how old you are. I thought you knew how this works. One candle for each year-"

Clara silenced him with a well-practiced glare. "I'm turning 29, not 31."

The Doctor touched the dwindling match to the last candle and then extinguished the small flame with a slight shake of his hand. "Are you sure? I could have sworn you were older. In fact, I'm beginning to think I'm being kind with the current amount of candles."

She continued to glare at him. "2015. 1986. 29 years in-between. Easiest math in the world."

"But is it 2015? It could be 2016. Or 2017. You never know aboard a time machine. You could be even older than you realize. All those extra days do start to add up."

He thought she might try to reprimand him like one of her students, but Clara laid a gentle hand on his arm instead. She smiled that smile of hers that lit up her big brown eyes. "I'm only one year older. You still have a lot more time with me."

It sounded like a light hearted threat, but it seemed like a promise, too. In the Doctor's experience, it wasn't easy to keep a promise, but it never hurt to try. "You better blow out the candles. You're getting wax all over your cake."

Clara shook her head, but the amusement in her smile still remained. She drew back her shoulders and took in a deep breath. With one mighty whoosh, she extinguished all but one of the thirty-one candles. Thin tendrils of smoke drifted up from the spent wicks and quickly dissipated into nothing.

"That's quite the trick. You managed the average between the two numbers. Perhaps you're actually 30."

Clara handed him a sharp knife. "Just cut me a piece of cake, Doctor."

The last candle continued to burn, raging on in bold defiance. The Doctor left it as it was; it would go out on its own. "Happy birthday, Clara Oswald."

Comments

[browncoat2x2]

Aw, I like that! I totally read the whole thing in Peter Capaldi's voice, well, except the Clara bits, which were in her voice, but yeah! Speech patterns really came across well, I had no trouble hearing him at all!

My only complaint, no mention of the sonic sunglasses!!! ;D

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

I think the key to capturing Twelve's voice is the realization that he isn't always being mean when he's being abrasive. He's just really impatient and the only person he has time for is Clara, but of course, even then, he isn't always sweetness and sunshine with her.

(I also re-watched season eight a few times in the course of knitting things so that probably helps, too)

Dang it, I should have had him lighting the candles with the sonic sunglasses! What a missed opportunity.

[browncoat2x2]

Yes, I think you're right, he's got that sort of "I'm all absent minded because I've got so much going on at once and none of you are keeping up with me" thing going on, except when he suddenly stops, and really focuses on something, when something catches him... *nods*

Dang it, I should have had him lighting the candles with the sonic sunglasses! What a missed opportunity.

See! Yes, that would have been perfect ;) hahaha!

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, this is lovely! :-)

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I went the obvious route and thought "birthday" for the candle prompt, but Ashildr's line from "The Woman Who Lived" about how people blow away like smoke had some influence, too.

[chinesebakery.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was sweet!

"Are you sure? I could have sworn you were older. In fact, I'm beginning to think I'm being kind with the current amount of candles."

*Very* Twelve :)

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do love it when Twelve is snippy with people. He's such a loveable grump.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Awww!! That was most marvelous!! Thank you, thank you for this!

*Happy!Squishes*

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! :-) I do enjoy writing Twelve when he's being snarky-nice to Clara.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful. I especially like The Doctor left it as it was; it would go out on its own. Great vignette with perfect dialogue and characterization.

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I added that line at the last minute, but at the time I didn't know what Clara's fate would be. Now it seems strangely apt.

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed this story very much.

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!

[paynesgrey.livejournal.com]

Aww, this was very cute. Well done!

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And thank you for running such an awesome comm that got me to write this fic in the first place. :-)