( Her eyes burn helplessly when he pulls her in close like that. She can feel the protectiveness of the hug, and that reaches her in such an important way she can never put to words, because that's not- that's not ever been for her either. Something she needed and yearned for without knowing, without letting herself know. But of course, he would be apologizing for something like this when it's his future, when he is the one that will have to go through it, when he has no idea. It's not on him to do, but she knows he cares about her and what she has to carry.

So she shakes her head against him before she lifts her head from him to look up at him. )

You don't have anything to be sorry about. You hear me? ( She means that. ) Sometimes it's good to be willing to bear things for someone else. That's part of what this whole... being friends thing is, right? And you're... really important to me.

( Expressing that is also important to do. She's learning. She levels him with a Look then, and her voice is raw. Her throat feels lodged with emotion, but she means it. )

I got this. ( Red nods with certainty as she straightens her shoulders. She is ancient after all in reality, ancient and young, monstrous and human. ) And it helped Clara so I don't regret it. ( Especially since the Doctor can't help her with that so Red can. She'll carry that with her.

Not today, not tomorrow, not even the next day, he says so simply, beautifully. The truth is she knows no one is guaranteed any time at all. Spirits came into the Underworld of all ages and all types. It was just really hard, really painful to imagine him gone. ) There aren't ever any guarantees. I think I just wasn't thinking about how that's a part of it all too.