"What?!" It seemed like the only logical response to have because Theta was looking at him strange and the sheer terror in his eyes was disconcerting. What was this anyway? Where were they? Rubbing his eyes to try and clear them up, Koschei hauled himself to his feet, looking down at his body and the strange clothes he had on. And, hey, wait! What was up with his voice? Reaching up to touch his Adams apple, he frowned in the direction of Theta. "My voice is all funny, is it new? Oh, new voice! Does that mean I--"
There was a pause as he looked down at his new hands, older and stubber than his other pair. So they'd both regenerated? Dear lord, what had Theta done this time? Had he actually killed them? "You can't fix regeneration, dimwit. What did you do? You're all different. And so am I!"
"It's not that, it's..." The Doctor looked around as if help could come from somewhere, but naturally it was nowhere to be found. He had no idea what to do and the only person who might be able to help him was standing right in front of him and he had no idea how to even begin explaining this to him. Hell, he still didn't even understand it himself.
"Look, it's complicated. I... I was trying to look inside your mind, right? Trying to see if I can help you. But something happened and..." He gestured in a way that really didn't mean anything. "Ta-da." Alright. Explaining. Where to even start. "You must have regressed somehow. We'll fix it, I promise! Just... Alright, see, I'm on my tenth regeneration. I don't even know how many it's been for you."
"Ta-da? Really? This is a ta-da moment?" How many times did he tell Theta that wasn't an answer to anything. It took him months to convince him to stop using it in exam questions and now this. Not a ta-da moment, more a moment where Koschei wanted to freak out and panic a little, not be amazing by the Doctor's special brand of whimsy and madness. "You're erased my mind and you think you can say ta-da!"
Yes, he was hinging on hysteria on that last bit because for some reason, it sounded very much like the Doctor had been playing in his mind and deleted half his history. His precious future. How the hell did he even manage to do that? "Help me? How is this helping? You've nuked my mind!" Koschei snapped, stumbling to his feet with a nervous and horrified look on his face. "Why the hell did you even try to fix my mind? You failed telepathy! And every course that involved fixing!"
"...it felt like a ta-da moment." At least the Doctor appeared to be properly sheepish upon being scolded, not that it changed things much. What was he supposed to do? It wasn't as if he could take the ta-da back. Besides, a bit of whimsy might have helped Koschei to not freak out like, well, like he was doing right now.
"I haven't nuked it! It's probably just... jammed or something." So he couldn't remember any of the proper terminology for much of anything related to telepathy, but who cared? He got the gist, more or less. Well. Koschei cared, apparently, and the Doctor could hardly blame him. "I was trying to have a look for those drums, alright?" Maybe that would count as an explanation. He had been, he just hadn't thought the Master's mind came with a reset button.
"Jammed? You can't jam a mind, it's not a computer," Oh who let this idiot into his mind? He loved Theta, he really truly did, but there was a reason he stopped being partners with him in telepathy training. He always did something wrong. Like the time he deleted the times tables from Koschei's head and he spent the whole weekend relearning them.
With a confused stare, he took in a deep breath, unsure what to say to that. "The drums?" He believed they were real? And he was looking for them? Huh. Well. It only took ten regenerated for that. Woah, talk about trust issues. "You think they're real?" Well, that was a nice change at least. Late but nice. Clearing his throat, he didn't quite know what to do. "Why would looking at the drums 'jam' my mind?"
"I was thinking more of, you know, a clockwork?" Obviously a mind wasn't a clockwork either and it was probably a much worse analogy, but the Doctor liked his analogies, the worse the better sometimes. It helped people with understanding. Of course, Koschei hardly needed his help for that. Not even his very useful hand gestures as he indicated a turning cogwheel, so he stopped the movement in favour of running his hands through his hair. The drums, real?
Well. He was at the very least entertaining the possibility. "I think they might be. And I think that they're messing you up. They've been getting worse, you know?"
Koschei looked at the Doctor for a good long while, feeling a strange unpleasant feeling in his stomach because even if Theta was being his old sweet self, the words underneath it left him feeling uncomfortable. He never did like talking about the drums, he purposefully tried to do that as little as possible. Just because he was inflicted with something didn't mean he had to talk to Theta about it! He didn't want Theta thinking he was a freak or something.
"Well, I suppose that's a spoiler so you shouldn't tell me," Koschei said bluntly, knowing that'd betray him later when he wanted some kind of truth out of him. "Look, in future, take me to someone who can do that kind of thing properly like a doctor or a trained psychic. Just don't consult the high council, those boring idiot couldn't help any more than you."
Hey, he may have liked being a Time Lord himself but he knew ninety percent of them were thick as hell.
"Unfortunately I'm the Doctor. There's no one more qualified in the universe." And in a way the Doctor wasn't even being arrogant right then. Lonely. He was definitely that. But Koschei had a point about spoilers, although he didn't know if they'd do any harm. Better not to tempt fate until they had ascertained that.
"We can try again. I'll be more careful this time. It shouldn't be too difficult, I don't think. I wonder if it's a fail-safe guarding the drums." Sure, he still didn't entirely believe the drums were an actual thing, but if they were than it was only natural for his mind to jump to the most out there theories. In his experience they turned out to be right more often than not. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"You're not a doctor, you still haven't graduated. I know, I know, second times the charm but really? Who hired you as a doctor, Theet?" Well, it was a worthwhile complaint, who would hire someone like Theta to help people on a mental level. Psychical maybe? Though that was touch and go. I can think of people more qualified. Like me. Or Ushas I suppose -- but no, actually, do not let her near my head. She'll probably turn me into a lobotomised zombie pet!"
He wasn't joking, she really would. And the fact he was calling the Rani 'Ushas' probably gave away a lot about just how old the Master was. Hell, he was on his first regeneration before she changed her name. Which was exactly where his mind was. "Erm, just graduated? We were studying together to try and get you to pass the final exam and I was doing job application forms at the same time. That's about it really. Been a little boring since I passed my exam."
"Tenth regeneration," The Doctor reminded Koschei gently, "A lot of things have changed." He sighed and looked around the room, wishing the Master was less intent on destroying all his furniture. He finally sat down on the bed, crossing his arms in front of himself. How was he supposed to do any of this? "A lot of people know me as the Doctor. A bit of a thing all around the universe, actually." That probably counted as spoilers, but... Well, this was messed up anyway, he just had to get the Master's mind back into order. It wasn't as if he would send Koschei's mind back into the past, he had just somehow eclipsed a whole lot of years. What a mess.
"Congratulations on passing! Well done! Now will you let me look into your mind?"
"No! I don't care who calls you the Doctor, you're not going back in there. Get someone else. Please! I don't an to end up a drooling vegetable, I only just graduated," Koschei insisted with a legitimate look of concern and fear on his face because whatever the Doctor had done before, he'd deleted a very big chunk of his life. Any more and what? Back to the toddler years? Or worse. No, no, no, no. He refused. He loved Theta and everything but no, that wasn't happening.
"We need to call someone, we have to fix this," Koschei insisted as he started to ruffle his hair in a nervous manner, trying to debate what to do so he could fix it instead of Theta. Because, not to be rude, but the top graduate had more chance of getting this right than the man who failed. "Erm, okay, I have a plan! We go back to Gallifrey and I'll see if someone can't undo the damage, okay? I know some people who are good at telepathy. And, if they've left, then I know a device that can let me look into my own mind so maybe I can undo what you did."
Well. That was actually insulting. Mind, the Doctor couldn't entirely blame him or anything, but it was very insulting nonetheless. He couldn't help the slight pout, although the talk of Gallifrey and people who could help made the blow to his ego seem minor in comparison to the feelings that brought on. He latched onto the only thing Koschei said that he could reply to without having to tell him that there was no way they could go back to Gallifrey, not ever again.
"A device, yeah? Can we build it?" Maybe that was a solution. Anything better than having to stand there and explain to Koschei just what had happened to Gallifrey.
"Why would we build it? We could just go home and get it, couldn't w-- oh. Oh. I see, I get it now," Koschei remarked as a realisation dawned on him as to why the Gallifrey suggestion had been shot down and why the Doctor of all people was trying to fix him. With a very mischievous look suddenly on his face, Koschei leaned against the wall, looking the happiest he'd been since he woke up. "What did we do? Go on! Tell me! You have to. How did we piss off Gallifrey that much that you won't even take me back there."
Of course, he wasn't thinking destruction and mayhem or anything overtly evil. He was jut assuming they'd misbehaved so much they'd been banned. Which made sense because hey, the Deca had never quite conformed to the right kind of standards for Time Lords. "Was it me or you? Or both? It had to be both! You're the worst enabler and you'd so tell me if you had a plan."
The Doctor stared at Koschei, caught off-guard by that innocent conclusion, while he couldn't get the sight of Gallifrey burning out of his mind. A lie would be bad, he'd rather avoid that, so he settled on an uneasy smile instead. "Can't tell you. Spoilers."
He chose to stretch out on the bed, deciding that looking at the ceiling was without a doubt much safer right now. "So how do we build it? What do we need?" He hoped this would work. It had to, really, what other choice did they have? Koschei would want to leave this room soon, that much was certain. Maybe he ought to give Jack a warning, but how?
"Oh come, please! I won't remember anything when I go back anyway. I'm not really here, technically. I'm who I was five minutes ago with what is basically brain damage caused by you," then Koschei paused and pulled a face and what he'd basically just said about himself. How nice. "I'm walking talking brain damage. Nice. At the very least, tell me what we did."
Koschei soon came over to Theta, leaping on the bed in a childish manner as he flopped back beside the Doctor like it was absolutely no issue. Which it wasn't really, this is how they always hung over, lying next to, on or near each other while they studied, talked or argued. Nothing like an intense debate about morality while lying top and tail. "We will need a lot of stuff. Give me a notepad, I can write us a list. But it could take a few days to manufacturer some of the components if you won't let us go back to Gallifrey."
The Doctor got up, frankly relieved to get some space. He knew that to Koschei this was normal, but the last time the Master had willingly come so close to him it was to hit him. Beat him into the ground, he believed the stated purpose had been. He got a notepad and a pan out of the desk drawer, throwing both to the Master so he could catch it. He had years, centuries of experience of evading questions. He could do this.
"I'd rather not risk anything that could damage your mind further, yeah? Let's just figure this out as fast as possible."
Koschei frowned slightly, unsure just what Theta's problem was because hell, it definitely seemed to him that there was something wrong. But then he had said that Koschei was getting worse so maybe he did something that upset the Doctor? Something that made him want to fiddle in his mind. Though he couldn't imagine ever consenting to letting the Doctor in his head after that whole times table thing. Grabbing the notepad, Koschei sat upright and started to scribble down his list. In Gallifreyan. Well, he didn't think the Doctor would want English. He barely even realised the TARDIS was translating him into English in the first place.
"Okay, there you go," Koschei said as he hopped to his feet, holding out the list before moving to the door. "Let's go then! Get the stuff we need and start working on it."
The Doctor looked at the list and gave a nod as he scanned the items. At first glance none of it should be too difficult to get. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and used it to change the door settings so it would actually let the Master out, hoping to be stealthy enough about it. However, now there was still another problem to be concerned with, so he set to work on that right after he followed Koschei out onto the hallway.
"Jack?!" He looked up and down the hall, relieved when there was no answer. Maybe Jack wouldn't ever run into Koschei before they had fixed this. "Er, Jack is a friend of mine. He travels with us right now. He used to be a time agent... wait, you'd not know the Time Agency, would you?"
"You travel with a Time Agent?" Koschei's eyes lit up in the most amused manner because he did, in fact, know what they were. And so would the Doctor if he'd paid any attention to class when they discussed cosmic law and order. They were notorious for the way they did things and their open defiance of what is considered normal morality. Koschei had always been fascinated with people with that kind of power and that kind of order. Why, it was a dream for him to find such a title. "They're amazing people. Does he have a vortex manipulator still? I hear those are awful for travel but handy for just about everything else."
He very much wanted to own one. Or make one. Maybe this Jack fellow would let him study it and take notes? He could ask. Nicely even, if he had to. He was very capable of being nice. "I should like to study it," It was said in a way in which Koschei actually believed it was possible. But then, Koschei had always been a hard young man to deter from what he wanted. "Let's go find him."
Edited (I'm a serial editor today, this is what late nights do to me!!) 2014-10-13 12:11 (UTC)
Right. He should have remembered learning about Time Agents back when, but, well, he got confused sometimes. Besides, he probably didn't spend that much attention. But the look in Koschei's eyes just then... It was cute, downright adorable and that's why it chilled him to the bone. Horrifying, really. "No!" Oh gods, what was he supposed to do? "No, he... He... You and he, you don't really get along. It would be better if you don't ask anything of him, alright? I have the plans for a vortex manipulator somewhere, if I dig them up you can study those if you want to." Imagining Jack's face if the Master asked him like that... Well, he'd rather not even do that, to be honest. It would really be best if they didn't interact at all.
"We don't? Damn! Why not? What did he do?" Yes, the assumption being that Jack did something wrong because Koschei couldn't imagine upsetting a Time Agent, he was very aware of how dangerous they were. Or maybe he was just unstable and that's why he didn't like Koschei. They weren't exactly known for being nice people so it was possible. "Maybe if I ask him nicely and perhaps apologise for whatever reason he's unhappy, he'll let me. It's all about giving people what they want to get what you want, Theet."
He followed the Doctor slowly, looking down at his clothes with a sneer. What on earth was he wearing? And why did he had a lead on? It looked like a lead anyway, hanging from his neck of all things. With a pout on his face, he fought off his tie in a slightly dramatic manner, tossing it over his shoulder when it was done. That £150 pure silk westwood tie, happily discarded, would be sorely missed by the Master when he woke up, that was for certain. "We're in a TARDIS then? I thought so! So you passed your test eventually then?"
"It's not the kind of unhappiness that an apology could make up for." Ripping the Master into tiny shreds might help Jack's healing process more, but he definitely wasn't about to let that happen now any more than he would have before. He could keep Koschei safe and a huge part of that might just be not letting Jack meet him, at the very least not before he could brief him on everything.
He stopped by the console and entered the coordinates of a market where he expected to get a lot of what the Master had written down on the list. Test? Oh, right. How about that? "Er. Well, more or less." He stroked the TARDIS console and smiled. "I've been flying the old girl for years now and she's not complaining." Which reminded him of the last time the Master had tried to touch the console.
"You probably should stay away from the console, alright? You... Well, you and my TARDIS don't get along so well, either."
With a sigh, Koschei looked at the whole of the TARDIS with a sort of horrible awe inside him because here was the most beautiful thing he'd seen in a long time and even she didn't like him either. What was he doing in the future? Why didn't the Time Agent nor the TARDIS like him? With a curious frown, he approached the console, looking awfully tempted to touch even if he couldn't. What could he ever do to upset a ship? His hands hovered near and static met his fingers, forcing him to jerk them back and away from her.
"Does anyone like me?" Koschei finally asked with a sad look in his eyes, feeling rather horribly rejected right now. Theta was being distance, whoever Jack was rather seemed to hate him and even a TARDIS wouldn't let him touch her. With a dejected sigh, Koschei slid in his hands in his pockets. "Boy, growing up is going to be great, hmm? I can't wait."
The Doctor turned to look at Koschei and the sad look in his eyes seemed to stab him through both hearts simultaneously. He didn't even think, much less hesitate. One moment to the other and he had his arms around the Master, no, Koschei, hugging him close and hoping he could make that expression leave his face.
"I think you just have other priorities than being likable." Like being a complete and utter wanker, but he decided to keep that part to himself. "But I like you, alright? I can't seem to quite shake it off, no matter how stupid you think it makes me."
He only let go of him slowly, gently running his fingers through Koschei's hair as he looked at his face, a hesitant smile as he hoped to see him smile in turn.
Oh Theta, what a soppy dork he was. With a small huff of amusement, he let his oldest friend embrace him, even if he didn't feel much in the hugging mood. But then Koschei wasn't much of a hugger, he only ever did that sort of thing with Theta. Mostly because he had this desire, this painful horrible wanting, that could only be made better by being embraced by his dearest friend.
There was a very hesitant and small smile on Koschei's face, he certainly wasn't happy but he no longer felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He never wanted friends, not really, so as long as Theta liked him then why did it matter? Well, presuming Theta did actually like him. If he liked Koschei just for being Koschei then why did he try meddling in his head?
"Well, who cares what people think anyway. No one liked me in the academy, no one likes me now. Never stopped me before."
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There was a pause as he looked down at his new hands, older and stubber than his other pair. So they'd both regenerated? Dear lord, what had Theta done this time? Had he actually killed them? "You can't fix regeneration, dimwit. What did you do? You're all different. And so am I!"
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"Look, it's complicated. I... I was trying to look inside your mind, right? Trying to see if I can help you. But something happened and..." He gestured in a way that really didn't mean anything. "Ta-da." Alright. Explaining. Where to even start. "You must have regressed somehow. We'll fix it, I promise! Just... Alright, see, I'm on my tenth regeneration. I don't even know how many it's been for you."
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Yes, he was hinging on hysteria on that last bit because for some reason, it sounded very much like the Doctor had been playing in his mind and deleted half his history. His precious future. How the hell did he even manage to do that? "Help me? How is this helping? You've nuked my mind!" Koschei snapped, stumbling to his feet with a nervous and horrified look on his face. "Why the hell did you even try to fix my mind? You failed telepathy! And every course that involved fixing!"
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"I haven't nuked it! It's probably just... jammed or something." So he couldn't remember any of the proper terminology for much of anything related to telepathy, but who cared? He got the gist, more or less. Well. Koschei cared, apparently, and the Doctor could hardly blame him. "I was trying to have a look for those drums, alright?" Maybe that would count as an explanation. He had been, he just hadn't thought the Master's mind came with a reset button.
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With a confused stare, he took in a deep breath, unsure what to say to that. "The drums?" He believed they were real? And he was looking for them? Huh. Well. It only took ten regenerated for that. Woah, talk about trust issues. "You think they're real?" Well, that was a nice change at least. Late but nice. Clearing his throat, he didn't quite know what to do. "Why would looking at the drums 'jam' my mind?"
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Well. He was at the very least entertaining the possibility. "I think they might be. And I think that they're messing you up. They've been getting worse, you know?"
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"Well, I suppose that's a spoiler so you shouldn't tell me," Koschei said bluntly, knowing that'd betray him later when he wanted some kind of truth out of him. "Look, in future, take me to someone who can do that kind of thing properly like a doctor or a trained psychic. Just don't consult the high council, those boring idiot couldn't help any more than you."
Hey, he may have liked being a Time Lord himself but he knew ninety percent of them were thick as hell.
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"We can try again. I'll be more careful this time. It shouldn't be too difficult, I don't think. I wonder if it's a fail-safe guarding the drums." Sure, he still didn't entirely believe the drums were an actual thing, but if they were than it was only natural for his mind to jump to the most out there theories. In his experience they turned out to be right more often than not. "What's the last thing you remember?"
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He wasn't joking, she really would. And the fact he was calling the Rani 'Ushas' probably gave away a lot about just how old the Master was. Hell, he was on his first regeneration before she changed her name. Which was exactly where his mind was. "Erm, just graduated? We were studying together to try and get you to pass the final exam and I was doing job application forms at the same time. That's about it really. Been a little boring since I passed my exam."
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"Congratulations on passing! Well done! Now will you let me look into your mind?"
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"We need to call someone, we have to fix this," Koschei insisted as he started to ruffle his hair in a nervous manner, trying to debate what to do so he could fix it instead of Theta. Because, not to be rude, but the top graduate had more chance of getting this right than the man who failed. "Erm, okay, I have a plan! We go back to Gallifrey and I'll see if someone can't undo the damage, okay? I know some people who are good at telepathy. And, if they've left, then I know a device that can let me look into my own mind so maybe I can undo what you did."
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"A device, yeah? Can we build it?" Maybe that was a solution. Anything better than having to stand there and explain to Koschei just what had happened to Gallifrey.
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Of course, he wasn't thinking destruction and mayhem or anything overtly evil. He was jut assuming they'd misbehaved so much they'd been banned. Which made sense because hey, the Deca had never quite conformed to the right kind of standards for Time Lords. "Was it me or you? Or both? It had to be both! You're the worst enabler and you'd so tell me if you had a plan."
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He chose to stretch out on the bed, deciding that looking at the ceiling was without a doubt much safer right now. "So how do we build it? What do we need?" He hoped this would work. It had to, really, what other choice did they have? Koschei would want to leave this room soon, that much was certain. Maybe he ought to give Jack a warning, but how?
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Koschei soon came over to Theta, leaping on the bed in a childish manner as he flopped back beside the Doctor like it was absolutely no issue. Which it wasn't really, this is how they always hung over, lying next to, on or near each other while they studied, talked or argued. Nothing like an intense debate about morality while lying top and tail. "We will need a lot of stuff. Give me a notepad, I can write us a list. But it could take a few days to manufacturer some of the components if you won't let us go back to Gallifrey."
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"I'd rather not risk anything that could damage your mind further, yeah? Let's just figure this out as fast as possible."
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"Okay, there you go," Koschei said as he hopped to his feet, holding out the list before moving to the door. "Let's go then! Get the stuff we need and start working on it."
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"Jack?!" He looked up and down the hall, relieved when there was no answer. Maybe Jack wouldn't ever run into Koschei before they had fixed this. "Er, Jack is a friend of mine. He travels with us right now. He used to be a time agent... wait, you'd not know the Time Agency, would you?"
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He very much wanted to own one. Or make one. Maybe this Jack fellow would let him study it and take notes? He could ask. Nicely even, if he had to. He was very capable of being nice. "I should like to study it," It was said in a way in which Koschei actually believed it was possible. But then, Koschei had always been a hard young man to deter from what he wanted. "Let's go find him."
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"Let's just go to the console room."
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He followed the Doctor slowly, looking down at his clothes with a sneer. What on earth was he wearing? And why did he had a lead on? It looked like a lead anyway, hanging from his neck of all things. With a pout on his face, he fought off his tie in a slightly dramatic manner, tossing it over his shoulder when it was done. That £150 pure silk westwood tie, happily discarded, would be sorely missed by the Master when he woke up, that was for certain. "We're in a TARDIS then? I thought so! So you passed your test eventually then?"
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He stopped by the console and entered the coordinates of a market where he expected to get a lot of what the Master had written down on the list. Test? Oh, right. How about that? "Er. Well, more or less." He stroked the TARDIS console and smiled. "I've been flying the old girl for years now and she's not complaining." Which reminded him of the last time the Master had tried to touch the console.
"You probably should stay away from the console, alright? You... Well, you and my TARDIS don't get along so well, either."
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With a sigh, Koschei looked at the whole of the TARDIS with a sort of horrible awe inside him because here was the most beautiful thing he'd seen in a long time and even she didn't like him either. What was he doing in the future? Why didn't the Time Agent nor the TARDIS like him? With a curious frown, he approached the console, looking awfully tempted to touch even if he couldn't. What could he ever do to upset a ship? His hands hovered near and static met his fingers, forcing him to jerk them back and away from her.
"Does anyone like me?" Koschei finally asked with a sad look in his eyes, feeling rather horribly rejected right now. Theta was being distance, whoever Jack was rather seemed to hate him and even a TARDIS wouldn't let him touch her. With a dejected sigh, Koschei slid in his hands in his pockets. "Boy, growing up is going to be great, hmm? I can't wait."
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"I think you just have other priorities than being likable." Like being a complete and utter wanker, but he decided to keep that part to himself. "But I like you, alright? I can't seem to quite shake it off, no matter how stupid you think it makes me."
He only let go of him slowly, gently running his fingers through Koschei's hair as he looked at his face, a hesitant smile as he hoped to see him smile in turn.
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There was a very hesitant and small smile on Koschei's face, he certainly wasn't happy but he no longer felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He never wanted friends, not really, so as long as Theta liked him then why did it matter? Well, presuming Theta did actually like him. If he liked Koschei just for being Koschei then why did he try meddling in his head?
"Well, who cares what people think anyway. No one liked me in the academy, no one likes me now. Never stopped me before."
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