The Doctor flinched away, but there was nowhere to go anyway, so he just looked at the Master, at Marcus, with red-rimmed eyes, not quite mustering up a glare and definitely not bothering with a smile. Nowhere near. Empty, sad, something like that. His legs did give in under him and he ended up on the ground once the chain gave enough slack, closing his eyes when dizziness hit.
"Woah, woah, easy! Steady him first, you moron," Marcus snapped at the guard that had loosen the chains. And, like that, Marcus was on the floor besides his personal doctor, helping to pull him up a little so he could look at the burn. What did his last doctor say to do with these things? Clean, bandage and then let it heal. Well, he could do that. "Go get water and bandages. And don't take too long, you're already underwhelming me today."
The servant scampered off as fast as he could while Marcus gently pulled the Doctor upright, careful not to touch the wound. "It had to be done, I didn't have an option. You're mine and I can't have you leaving me. I need you," Marcus confessed, eyes closed as he bumped his forehead against the Doctors. "They're so quiet when you're here."
"I'm not sure how that's going to keep me from leaving you anymore than everything else already does." The Doctor looked down at his hands, inspecting his wrists as well as he could with the chains still wrapped around them. It would bruise, but it shouldn't be too bad. Good, he didn't like being injured. He didn't like being slowed down. Never knew when he might have to run.
"I'd never leave you behind, Master." That was why he was still here, after all. For him. He would get him to follow him some time, get the watch and him onto the TARDIS. For that and for not being alone he could suffer through all this pain.
"It's not just a matter of what you want now. People will know you belong to me and return you. I'll put quite the reward on your head too so no one would even dare to hide you from me," Marcus was naturally lacking in trust, he didn't believe that someone would willingly stay with him. Hence his elaborate plans to keep the Doctor by whatever means it took. And hell, sometimes he wanted to remind the Doctor of just why he belonged with him.
"My wonderful doctor, you say that now but I can't promise you a thing," John seemed like the flighty type, he didn't like the risk. Stroking the Doctor's hair gently, he pulled back from him with a slight smile. "Now you can't leave me. Not ever."
"Oh, great. Great. What a relief." He bit down on his lip, hands clenching into fists because OW, his shoulder, damn it. Burns always hurt the worst and in a way that made him want to touch it, even though he knew that would only make it worse. "I really don't think there are any people out there that would want to hide me from you anyway. These days most are just glad to be rid of me, really."
A slightly wistful look on his face as he remembered a time not that long ago that still seemed so very far away when there had been enough people in the TARDIS to fly it properly. Times of travelling with Rose, Jack, Martha and Donna. All so far away now and all of them lost to him one way or the other.
"People who are glad to be rid of you are foolish people indeed," Marcus insisted as his servant returned, hastily dropping to the Doctor's side to attend to his wound. Of course, Marcus was as interested in that as he was in most of his duties. He just wanted to keep talking to him, even as the wound was cleaned. He sincerely hoped the Doctor didn't start whining and whimpering, he did want to have a proper conversation here.
"There loss is my gain, isn't it? Now no one else can have you, I've stamped my claim,"Marcus reached out to help hold the Doctor still, a smile on his face that was a little more content than the situation required. "You're the best physician I've had in a long time. You make me feel better."
"Think they just wizened up." The Doctor tensed when the servant started to tend his wound, staring down at his hands and only hissing quietly, trying to focus on anything but the pain. He felt like whimpering, sure, but that didn't mean he'd allow himself the privilege. Too much pride, always too much pride and never any intention of getting rid of it. Some days it seemed it was one of the few things he had left that hadn't changed, hadn't changed since he'd been Theta.
"Good. I want to make you feel better." That much was true, even though he knew that his ways of helping would probably not be welcomed by the Master. Marcus was a different matter however. "I mostly feel worse right now, but that's not the important thing."
"You'll feel better later, I will reward you for your bravery today," Marcus insisted with one of those unsettling looks of excitement. Every surprise gift he had for the Doctor was not entirely what he wanted. Like that trip to go watch those Christians fight the lions? Nearly made John weep. He was almost going to go into the arena to save them. And he didn't quite enjoy the concept of being the first one to throw a rock during the stoning last one.
But this time, oh this time, he totally knew what to do for the Doctor. He had such a fantastic idea. "You always make me feel better, it's time I made you feel better," But only if it'd also make Marcus happy, of course. He wasn't here to be selfless.
That was enough to make the Doctor pale considerably, lips parting, though he failed at first to think of just what to say. Please not. Not another instance of helplessness, not more people dying when all he could do was watch. He had failed so much recently, this was like the culmination of all of it. A fitting punishment, but others had to suffer for it and that was what made it horrifying.
"You make me feel better very often, Master. When we talk like this. Especially when I'm not in pain."
"Sometimes pain is important," Marcus insisted as the servant began to bandage the Doctor. With a small frown, Marcus grasped the Doctor's chin and forced him to look at his master head on. Why did he suddenly seem so sad? He had a reward coming, that was a good thing! Marcus was only trying to thank him, why would he be sad over that? "Most people I know get excited over rewards, especially ones I put together. Given that I am the lord and Master of this kingdom, surely you should be thrilled."
Not everyone had the kind of power that Marcus had. He had put a lot of thought into this reward too. "Don't you like my gifts?"
"You know what I like." It was a neutral enough statement and he met and held the Master's gaze, unwavering, but not quite challenging either. A statement, simple as that, which could be interpreted as both a yes or a no in answer to the question. However, if the Master should choose to see it as a no, at least he'd also admit, even if in a roundabout way, that he did know what the Doctor wanted and that he knowingly went against it. Not an admission that was much of a triumph, but this was a slow process. Two steps forward, five back.
With an annoyed look, Marcus was swiftly on his feet, leaving the servant to finish attending to John. He didn't want to be here when his generosity was being questioned like this. He tried to do so many nice things for his doctor, why didn't he appreciate them? What was he doing wrong? "Tell me when he's all bandaged up. Actually, no, just send him to my room," Marcus muttered dejectedly, clearly not happy at the reception he was getting. Now he had to rethink his gift and everything. As he took his leave, he debated the best thing he could do just to prove to John that he could do these kind of things well.
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His shoulder felt as if it was on fire.
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The servant scampered off as fast as he could while Marcus gently pulled the Doctor upright, careful not to touch the wound. "It had to be done, I didn't have an option. You're mine and I can't have you leaving me. I need you," Marcus confessed, eyes closed as he bumped his forehead against the Doctors. "They're so quiet when you're here."
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"I'd never leave you behind, Master." That was why he was still here, after all. For him. He would get him to follow him some time, get the watch and him onto the TARDIS. For that and for not being alone he could suffer through all this pain.
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"My wonderful doctor, you say that now but I can't promise you a thing," John seemed like the flighty type, he didn't like the risk. Stroking the Doctor's hair gently, he pulled back from him with a slight smile. "Now you can't leave me. Not ever."
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A slightly wistful look on his face as he remembered a time not that long ago that still seemed so very far away when there had been enough people in the TARDIS to fly it properly. Times of travelling with Rose, Jack, Martha and Donna. All so far away now and all of them lost to him one way or the other.
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"There loss is my gain, isn't it? Now no one else can have you, I've stamped my claim,"Marcus reached out to help hold the Doctor still, a smile on his face that was a little more content than the situation required. "You're the best physician I've had in a long time. You make me feel better."
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"Good. I want to make you feel better." That much was true, even though he knew that his ways of helping would probably not be welcomed by the Master. Marcus was a different matter however. "I mostly feel worse right now, but that's not the important thing."
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But this time, oh this time, he totally knew what to do for the Doctor. He had such a fantastic idea. "You always make me feel better, it's time I made you feel better," But only if it'd also make Marcus happy, of course. He wasn't here to be selfless.
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"You make me feel better very often, Master. When we talk like this. Especially when I'm not in pain."
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Not everyone had the kind of power that Marcus had. He had put a lot of thought into this reward too. "Don't you like my gifts?"
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