"Are you sure you don't want to come and see her for just a moment? Make sure she's alright."
"I'm sure she is alright." The Doctor looked past Wilfred as he stood in front of the TARDIS, one hand on the door. He wanted to check on Donna, of course he wanted to. So much to tell her and so much to ask her. He wanted to know that she was happy. But it was too risky. He blinked and shook his head, meeting Wilfred's eyes. "Thank you, Wilfred. And... I'm sorry." Sorry for shouting. Sorry for everything he had caused.
But here Wilfred just smiled and nodded. "Take care of yourself, Doctor. And I better see you again soon."
No promises, the Doctor thought, but instead he just nodded and gave a small wave before heading inside the TARDIS. There he found the Master just as he'd left him, lying on the grating. He didn't look all that good, but he hadn't since all of this had started, so that was hardly surprising.
He's not even going to acknowledge that pun. Or sit upright. He was just rejected by his own race, nearly died and suffered one hell of a dose of radiation which he'd honestly believed would kill him. Turns out Artron energy cancels out the effects of radiation. It just made him feel a little tingly. A fun good kind of tingly though so there was that.
Rolling over onto his back, he stretched out a little like an over-grown cat and gave the Doctor a look, a mixture of confusion and mistrust because he wasn't entirely sure what they were going to do now. After all of that? He certainly didn't want to get stuck travelling with the Doctor but at the same time, could he leave? Was that possible?
It was all very uncertain right now.
"How come after I saved him and you yelled at him, you got a thank you and I got a stern look?" the Master mused though he already knew the answer. "I think that's rude, don't you?"
"I think it might have been the whole trying to make his granddaughter's head explode versus preventing you from doing just that that swayed him." The Doctor smiled in spite of himself, although he also sighed as he made his way to the console, sending the TARDIS into orbit. Wouldn't do to stand around and possibly have Wilfred knock or something.
He sat down next to the Master, propping one arm up on his knee and holding his chin. It had been a long day and he might have narrowly escaped radiation, but he wasn't exactly feeling too energetic either. At a loss, just like the Master. What now? He didn't know. He hadn't expected to still be alive.
Apologies. What odd things. The Master never apologises for anything, he didn't feel the need to because he was often so certain he was right. But now? Well, he'd been very certain that his drums were his destiny and clearly that was a lie. So how was he meant to be certain he was making the right moves now?
"I'm not sorry for what I did so I won't apologies," the Master slipped his arms behind his head, looking over at the Doctor. "Besides, I didn't know about the exploding thing. I didn't even know who she was till she rang gramps."
How was he meant to know the Doctor had somehow altered his old companions mind and it was on the verge of exploding? The Master twitched a little, lifting himself a little off the ground as he felt the radiation bouncing around. Yep, it was definitely on it's way out of him. He was trying to concentrate out breathing it out but so far, so slow. "Do I get a thank you? If this was you and not me, you'd be a goner."
"I'd never expect an apology from you." It was true enough, although he wasn't quite sure how that made him feel. "I don't think I expect anything from you." At the very least he had no idea what to expect. He had mourned him. He had shed tears over his loss, he had tried to come to terms with it. And then all of this. Being warned. Four knocks. And here they were, with everything over, and he had no idea where to go from there.
The Doctor watched the Master, glad to see the radiation appeared to be leaving him without a hassle. He might not know what to do with him, but he'd not want him to die. So he just nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Thank you." He smiled vaguely. "I thought I was a goner." He had been ready to die, really. Perhaps he should have died. But, no, he didn't want to. Not if he could help it. Or, as the case might be, not if the Master could help it.
"You expect plenty from me. Annoyance, death, destruction, a beard usually," the Master rubbed his chin with amusement, a little disappointed that he'd only managed the stubble but at least he had something this time to show for it. Just because he didn't apologies didn't mean he didn't sometimes regret things. It was usually easier to pretend he didn't notice and lose himself in the drums and, well, who wouldn't pick the easier option.
The Master opened his mouth and a light golden hazy came out of him, a mix of artron energy and radiation slowly coming out and clearing his system. The Master coughed a little and shook his head, trying to clear his head out a little.
With a small thoughtful frown, he tilted his head a little and looked up at the Doctor. Well, why not break the habit of a life time. He was doing that a lot tonight. "I'm sorry I brought them back. Really, I am."
"I wasn't expecting anything from you anymore for a while there." And to be honest, at least he could live without the beard. Always looked ridiculously cliched anyway, just missing the monocle for a true evil ensemble. But he didn't mention that right now, instead watching as the Master expelled some radiation and smiling without realizing. He was looking better together.
The apology made him frown, actually looking taken aback. What did he do with that? Finally he settled on just shaking his head. "That's alright. We shut them down, didn't we?" The Doctor paused for a moment, then he knocked the side of his own head with his index finger to indicate. "How are you doing?"
The Master slowly pulled himself upright once more, coughing out a small amount of strange glittering stuff, hoping that's the last that comes out. With a small frown, he turned to the Doctor and raised an eyebrow because why did the Doctor say 'we'. Was that really a team effort? He may have fought Rassilon back but in theory, he did kind of bring them there in the first place. So it was kind of his fault.
"How am I? Well, I'm in a permanent state of dying and starving," the Master pointed out, things weren't amazing right now physical nor mentally but he was here, he was alive and what the hell else could he do about it? With a bemused smile, he shuffled upright a little more and ruffled his head. "I thought you were dying tonight. Remember, that whole sad speech you gave. You didn't die, did you?"
The Doctor shifted so his hands were free, just in case he had to catch the Master if he fell back over. He knew the man had to be feeling like shit, so the least he could do was make sure he wouldn't hit his head. "Not yet, no." And that was really all he could say on that, at least conclusively. However, he shrugged and continued. "I was told I would. I was sure I would." He looked at the Master, not sure how he felt but his eyes softened. "I don't think anyone expected your choices tonight." That much, at least, he could also say in all certainty.
He reached out slowly, mostly not sure if he might get a shock from all sourcing through the Master's body, but finally he ended up just carding his fingers through the bleached hair. "Thank you for that."
"Everyone expected me to what? Lie down and die with them? Like I ever would," He knew what people expected of him, what the universe expected of him. He was the lord and Master of all matter, the ever persistent meddler and coward, not the man who did the right thing. Not for a long time. And yet, he'd done it. Twice. Twice, he had tried to save the Doctor.
It was strange, to say the least, such tender touches from the Doctor. The way he ruffled his terrible hair, the awful bleaching really didn't appeal to his usual sense of taste but he didn't care. The awful manky hoodie, the dirty boots, the holes in his t-shirt. They weren't exactly the best clothes but then he'd stolen them from a homeless man so they wouldn't be.
"Don't get sentimental, I was doing what was best for me," the Master insisted to avoid this whole emotional thing. He did, however, lean towards the touch with a slight smile on his face. "But if you want to thank me properly, I can think of a lot of creative means."
"I don't know. I guess so." The Doctor shrugged, still playing with the Master's hair, because he seemed to like the touch well enough and even if he wished the hair had been washed more recently, he didn't mind overly. It felt nice. It was nice, as strange as it was to be sitting around on the console room grating and talk about things he never thought would happen. "It's strange though, isn't it? I wouldn't have thought that what's best for you would line up with what's best for me again so soon."
He caught his eyes and arched an eyebrow, definitely taking note of that smile. "Yeah? I thought a 'thank you' would suffice, all in all." He wasn't so naive as to not get what the Master was playing at, but... Sentimental he might be, but this was complicated. This wasn't as easy as snogging an ex because they had stopped being a jerk for a while. Ever more complex and ever more dangerous. He might have two hearts, but they had taken enough of a beating for a while.
Well, the Doctor might of had a complex but the Master certainly didn't. While he was very much dizzy and woozy still, he was a very determined man when he wanted something. Hence why in a blink of an eye, he went from struggling to sit upright to tackling the Doctor down, crawling on top of him a bit like a possessive cat marking it's owner.
"Well, how about I thank you?" What? He was hungry, dying and horny. And he could fix one easier than the others. And besides, he wanted to thank the Doctor, he truly did. But he could never do it with words, it always came out as an insult.
Playfully, he moved in for a kiss, just to try and state his intents as clearly as he could before his energy depleted and he dropped down again.
The Doctor hadn't expected being tackled, given that the Master seemed to be almost out of energy. As a result he was taking down easily enough, especially since he wasn't exactly trying to fight him off. Instead he put his hands on the Master's hips and allowed for the kiss, deepening it right away. Hey, he wasn't about to deny the Master's thank you. He could get on board with this kind of gratitude. However, the Master apparently ran out of steam quickly and the Doctor really couldn't blame him.
He chuckled, lifting one hand to run it through the Master's hair again. "Perhaps we should focus on fixing you up first? Or at the very least getting you some energy. All you can eat buffet?" Or twenty.
The Master groaned in annoyance and rolled off the Doctor, his body flashing bright blue, his skeleton showing rather vividly underneath. What a cockblock. His first chance in how many years to try and fuck the Doctor with consent and his body gave up on him. The palms of his hands dug into his closed eyes and he huffed in a rather immature manner.
"Yes, let's try that. I'm so hungry, I could eat you," Which should be a giant massive warning sign to run away or get him to a buffet as quick as possible. "But this isn't over. Got it? If I saved the day, I want a heroes reward."
"Sure. As soon as you're fixed, we're going to go at it like rabbits." The Doctor was bemused more than anything. It wasn't as if he was feeling all that horny himself, yet, so it was easy enough not to treat this all entirely seriously. He got to his feet, approaching the console to steer them somewhere with a lot of food. "Is there anything in particular you'd prefer or is it all the same to you today?" His bet was on the latter, but he reckoned he might as well ask.
"I don't care as long as it has food. Any kind of food. I'm so hungry," the Master exhaled from where he was on the floor, stomach hurting from the lack of food. But then that was a constant lately, it only ever got worse when he got tired. Expelling radiation took a lot from him, actually. Slowly hauling himself up, he adjusted his dirty hoodie and smiled at the Doctor rather playfully. "I'll have anything. Really. Just pick somewhere I can eat."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
"I'm sure she is alright." The Doctor looked past Wilfred as he stood in front of the TARDIS, one hand on the door. He wanted to check on Donna, of course he wanted to. So much to tell her and so much to ask her. He wanted to know that she was happy. But it was too risky. He blinked and shook his head, meeting Wilfred's eyes. "Thank you, Wilfred. And... I'm sorry." Sorry for shouting. Sorry for everything he had caused.
But here Wilfred just smiled and nodded. "Take care of yourself, Doctor. And I better see you again soon."
No promises, the Doctor thought, but instead he just nodded and gave a small wave before heading inside the TARDIS. There he found the Master just as he'd left him, lying on the grating. He didn't look all that good, but he hadn't since all of this had started, so that was hardly surprising.
"Well... You look radiant."
no subject
He's not even going to acknowledge that pun. Or sit upright. He was just rejected by his own race, nearly died and suffered one hell of a dose of radiation which he'd honestly believed would kill him. Turns out Artron energy cancels out the effects of radiation. It just made him feel a little tingly. A fun good kind of tingly though so there was that.
Rolling over onto his back, he stretched out a little like an over-grown cat and gave the Doctor a look, a mixture of confusion and mistrust because he wasn't entirely sure what they were going to do now. After all of that? He certainly didn't want to get stuck travelling with the Doctor but at the same time, could he leave? Was that possible?
It was all very uncertain right now.
"How come after I saved him and you yelled at him, you got a thank you and I got a stern look?" the Master mused though he already knew the answer. "I think that's rude, don't you?"
no subject
He sat down next to the Master, propping one arm up on his knee and holding his chin. It had been a long day and he might have narrowly escaped radiation, but he wasn't exactly feeling too energetic either. At a loss, just like the Master. What now? He didn't know. He hadn't expected to still be alive.
"Besides, I apologized."
no subject
"I'm not sorry for what I did so I won't apologies," the Master slipped his arms behind his head, looking over at the Doctor. "Besides, I didn't know about the exploding thing. I didn't even know who she was till she rang gramps."
How was he meant to know the Doctor had somehow altered his old companions mind and it was on the verge of exploding? The Master twitched a little, lifting himself a little off the ground as he felt the radiation bouncing around. Yep, it was definitely on it's way out of him. He was trying to concentrate out breathing it out but so far, so slow. "Do I get a thank you? If this was you and not me, you'd be a goner."
no subject
The Doctor watched the Master, glad to see the radiation appeared to be leaving him without a hassle. He might not know what to do with him, but he'd not want him to die. So he just nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Thank you." He smiled vaguely. "I thought I was a goner." He had been ready to die, really. Perhaps he should have died. But, no, he didn't want to. Not if he could help it. Or, as the case might be, not if the Master could help it.
no subject
The Master opened his mouth and a light golden hazy came out of him, a mix of artron energy and radiation slowly coming out and clearing his system. The Master coughed a little and shook his head, trying to clear his head out a little.
With a small thoughtful frown, he tilted his head a little and looked up at the Doctor. Well, why not break the habit of a life time. He was doing that a lot tonight. "I'm sorry I brought them back. Really, I am."
no subject
The apology made him frown, actually looking taken aback. What did he do with that? Finally he settled on just shaking his head. "That's alright. We shut them down, didn't we?" The Doctor paused for a moment, then he knocked the side of his own head with his index finger to indicate. "How are you doing?"
no subject
"How am I? Well, I'm in a permanent state of dying and starving," the Master pointed out, things weren't amazing right now physical nor mentally but he was here, he was alive and what the hell else could he do about it? With a bemused smile, he shuffled upright a little more and ruffled his head. "I thought you were dying tonight. Remember, that whole sad speech you gave. You didn't die, did you?"
no subject
He reached out slowly, mostly not sure if he might get a shock from all sourcing through the Master's body, but finally he ended up just carding his fingers through the bleached hair. "Thank you for that."
no subject
It was strange, to say the least, such tender touches from the Doctor. The way he ruffled his terrible hair, the awful bleaching really didn't appeal to his usual sense of taste but he didn't care. The awful manky hoodie, the dirty boots, the holes in his t-shirt. They weren't exactly the best clothes but then he'd stolen them from a homeless man so they wouldn't be.
"Don't get sentimental, I was doing what was best for me," the Master insisted to avoid this whole emotional thing. He did, however, lean towards the touch with a slight smile on his face. "But if you want to thank me properly, I can think of a lot of creative means."
no subject
He caught his eyes and arched an eyebrow, definitely taking note of that smile. "Yeah? I thought a 'thank you' would suffice, all in all." He wasn't so naive as to not get what the Master was playing at, but... Sentimental he might be, but this was complicated. This wasn't as easy as snogging an ex because they had stopped being a jerk for a while. Ever more complex and ever more dangerous. He might have two hearts, but they had taken enough of a beating for a while.
no subject
"Well, how about I thank you?" What? He was hungry, dying and horny. And he could fix one easier than the others. And besides, he wanted to thank the Doctor, he truly did. But he could never do it with words, it always came out as an insult.
Playfully, he moved in for a kiss, just to try and state his intents as clearly as he could before his energy depleted and he dropped down again.
no subject
He chuckled, lifting one hand to run it through the Master's hair again. "Perhaps we should focus on fixing you up first? Or at the very least getting you some energy. All you can eat buffet?" Or twenty.
no subject
"Yes, let's try that. I'm so hungry, I could eat you," Which should be a giant massive warning sign to run away or get him to a buffet as quick as possible. "But this isn't over. Got it? If I saved the day, I want a heroes reward."
Never mind that he's saving the day from himself.
no subject
no subject