#Dh!master x reader

[fxlling13]

Lie

Dh!master x fem!reader

Synopsis: the master and the doctor both notice how much you have changed over the past few months. And it worries them.

Warnings: abuse, physical and mental. Injuries, breakdowns, Death, murder. The master kills a man. Victim blaming . Manipulation. Probably more.

Sitting in the console room, the master put his paper down and looked up. The doctor was under the console, trying to improve on something. He honestly didn't care enough to ask. Instead, there was something else on his mind. Sitting forward, he scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"What is it? Because I can hear your brain working from here." The blonde said, not moving from her spot.

"Have you noticed anything off about (y/n)?" Sliding out, the doctor sat up and pulled her goggles off.

"Oh thank god its not just me."

Coming to stand in front of him, she crossed her arms.

"She's been attached to you. It's like everything else scares her." Her observation was indeed correct and whilst the master wasn't complaining, it was worrying.

"She used to be so confident and brave. When did it change?" He asked, looking up at his old friend. She hummed, pacing slightly to try and think clearer.

"I dont think there's any point in being coy, she's obviously the closest to you out of any of us. If anyone can find out, it's you." nodding, the master stood and cracked his neck.

"I'll try my best. Should we go pick everyone up?"

They landed in the usual spot in Sheffield. Yaz was already there, bounding in once the doors were fully materialised. The master almost laughed at how excited she was to see the doctor. Dan was next, on time as usual. Immediately, he began to brag about his date with Diane. Not bothering to listen, the master stood by the door and waited. His fingers tapped against his arm worriedly. Thirty minutes late by this point, he huffed walking back over to the console.

"We could always go forward in time, to the point she arrives?" Yaz suggested but they shook their head.

"I want to see how late she is. You two can go decide on where we go alright?" Agreeing with the doctor, yaz and Dan sat on the steps discussing.

I was practically running down the street. Well, I say running, hobbling would be more accurate. I'd made him really angry this time. Stupid mistake. I shouldn't of mentioned any of my friends. Especially not him, but I couldn't help it. Not when I'd grown so close to the master. He was always there for me, to help me get away from the hell at home. Taking a deep breath, I looked at my phone and saw I was nearly an hour late. They were definitely going to question me. I entered the tardis anyway, a fake smile plastered on my face.

"Ah! (Y/n)!" The doctor cheered, rushing over to me. Giggling, I shut the door to block out the cold. I was only in a thin sweatshirt, even in the winter. Only because he had ripped my clothes to shreds.

"Sorry I'm late. Train was delayed." I lied through my teeth, praying to myself that it was convincing. Grinning, the doctor grabbed my arm and pulled me to the console. I couldn't help but wince, not expecting her to do that. Looking to my side, I saw the master stood there. He was leaning against a pillar with his hands in his pockets. Jacket discarded and sleeves rolled up, I almost blushed just seeing him. He simpered, coming to my side.

"Have a good few days off?" No. Doing my best to seem happy, I nod and told a few false stories to them.

"Well that's great! Yaz, have you decided where we're going?" The doctor asked, the pair coming to join us. The brunette suggested something and the doc got to work piloting. Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder. Out of reflex, I flinched harshly and covered myself from harm. But nothing happened. Lowering my arms, found the master looking at me with worry. I just laughed it off, swallowing down my anxiety.

"Everything alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" I responded way to quickly and I knew he thought that.

"You've got a bruise on your cheek." He pointed out, thumb brushing against it softly.

Oh no. In my rush I obviously forgot to cover it.

"Oh yeah. Funny story that. Walked right onto a door frame." All he did was nod at my fake tale. Slowly, he opened his arms.

"Come here." Not needing to be told twice, I wrapped my arms around his waist and sank into his hold immediately. How could I not fall in love? From the minute he began to travel with us, the master was by my side. He'd put himself before me no matter what.

"You know I'd never hurt you, right?" Even the way he spoke with me was so soft. So genuine.

"Of course."

Three mad, near death adventures later, we were gathered round the console exhausted.

"So, drop you off to recharge yeah?" My heart dropped at the doctors words but I knew I had no choice. Yaz nod, happy to get some rest. And Dan, well he wanted his girlfriend. All I could focus on was the fact I'd have to see my 'boyfriend' again. No matter how many times I tried to break up, he wouldn't let me go.

"(Y/n)? You okay?" Dan appeared next to me. I jumped, not expecting to hear his voice. He looked confused at my reaction and lifted a hand; probably to touch my shoulder in hindsight. Backing up, I felt my back hit someone's chest. I relaxed, recognising that it was the master.

"I'm fine, sorry. Zoned out." Unconvinced, Dan didn't have time to reply as we landed abruptly. Heading for the door, the doctor stopped me.

"Stay safe." Oh how I wish she knew. But they could never know. Without responding, I left and hurried home.

--------☆

Counting to ten, I took a deep breath then went inside my house. The tv was blaring, some old Hollywood movie. Realising he wasn't there, I made my way to the kitchen. It was a state as usual. Pans piled high, moldy plates and stained glasses. Plus, it stunk of stale food.

"Where have you been?" A slurred voice came from behind me. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

"Answer me!" He yelled, forcing me to turn around. Having me trapped against the counter, my heart rate picked up.

"With my friends." Mistake number one. Rolling his eyes, the taller gripped my wrist so tight, I thought it might break.

"Stop lying! Are you cheating? I bet you are. You're such a whore! Sleeping with every man you lay your eyes on." Whimpering at his accusations, I shook my head fiercely.

"No I swear!" Mistake number two. Chuckling dryly, he sneered.

"Did you just yell at me? Huh, you little bitch." My body began to shake as I knew what was coming. When I said nothing, the drunk male slapped me. I fell to the floor with a thud.

"Let me guess, you were off with that man you told your mother about?" Now internally screaming at myself for talking about the master, I chose to remain silent.

"What's so good about him anyway? I bet he's just some ugly little rat. Could never be a better man than me." Anger boiled beneath the surface. Without thinking, I snapped.

"Dont talk shit about him!" Third mistake. His eyes were vacant and soulless. Saying nothing, he grabbed the wine bottle from the counter and smashed it on the edge. Glass exploded around me as I let out a scream. He held it up, ready to use.

"You're gonna regret that slut."

--------☆

Tuesday couldn't come fast enough, it had been hell these past three days. As soon as the tardis came into view, I rushed in. Everything hurt, everything was sore. I wanted to collapse and never wake up. Everyone looked at me, they all seemed to be staring. Especially the master, who stood straight upon seeing me with his brows knit tight together.

"What?" I asked confused, chest still heaving from my run.

"Your nose is bleeding." Yaz told me. Touching my nose, I found that she was right. The master stepped forward without warning and I yelped, jumping back. He froze, eyes showing clear worry. All at once, everyone moved closer. Not being able to handle all the attention, I rushed past and ran to my room on board. Going into the bathroom, I shut the door before banging my fist against it repeatedly. That man ruined everything. Why couldn't I just be happy? I turned the shower on then peeled off my clothes, it was so painful. None of the wounds were treated and they were all fresh. Stepping into the shower, I slid down the wall and sat there; letting the water run over me.

Back in the console room, everyone stood not knowing what happened. The doctor gave the master a look. He nod then turned to the humans.

"What does (y/n) do at home?" They both shrugged, not having a clue.

"She never talks about it with us. Dodges the subject mostly." Dan admitted. Sighing, the master tried to peice everything together. But, with so little evidence, it was hard. Then it hit him and god, did he hope he was wrong.

"Who does she live with?" He asked, wary of what the answer could be.

"She used to live with her boyfriend." Yaz told him, sitting on the console beside the doctor. The blonde tilted her head.

"Used to?"

"Well, she wanted to break up with him. But she still could I suppose?" Wetting his lips, the master thought over everything. It was about four months ago (for them, not him and the doctor. Time travel and all that.) that this has all started.

"When did she say she wasn't happy?"

"I dunno. Three, four months?" He looked at the doctor to see she was frowning. They were thinking the same thing.

"Go." She said and he didn't need to be told twice. The master ran down to my room, not bothering to inform the other humans. The doctor would do that for him.

Doing my best not to cry, I began to feel numb at the burn against the cuts. I'd dealt with worse. The bathroom door was suddenly thrust open, I screamed and covered myself best I could. In the entrance, the master stood there. It was too late, he'd seen it all. All the damage my body had. Shutting the door, he reached in and turned the water off; grabbing a towel in the process. He crouched in front of me, wrapping the towel around my back. His eyes scanned over every scar, cut and bruise. Without question, he pulled me into his embrace.

"What has he done to you?" Knowing that he'd figured it all out, the floodgates opened and I broke down in his arms.

"Shhh, its okay now. I've got you." Not able to respond, I just cried more. I didn't deserve his time at all, yet here he was.

"How about, we get you dry? I'll take care of your wounds. Then, I'll make sure you're nice and comfortable. Is that okay?" Nodding slowly, the master picked me up and sat me on the counter. He pulled out a clean towel, to replace the now damp one and dried me off very gently. Making sure to pat my skin with great care. After putting on some underwear, the elder disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a med kit. It was silent as he aided all the deep gashes and bruises littered on my skin. Taking my hand in his, he observed the hand shaped bruise on my wrist. It wasn't the worst injury I had, but definitely the most noticeable. I knew for a fact my back was in bad condition along with my stomach.

"He won't get away with this. I swear that. I'm going to throw him in a black hole." That comment made me giggle for the first time in ages. Smirking, the master handed me my fluffy pyjama hoodie and pair of shorts. Actually, they looked more like boxers. Either way, I wasn't complaining and put them on.

"Come on. Bed. You need rest."

"I'm fine-" a stern look cut me off. Of course, I was not fine. Instead, he carried me to my bed and sat me under the duvet.

"I'll be right back." He told me then disappeared. Resting my head back against the headboard, I took a deep breath. What was going to happen now? I was going to end up homeless. All alone. My eyes filled with tears yet again. Once everyone here found out it would be so embarrassing. They'd definitely judge, or laugh. Maybe? My head was a mess at that point.

"Hey, hey. Why are you crying sweets?" Not looking up, I heard the master speak before coming over. Something was placed on my side table, i didn't know what. His arms encased me, moving me so I was sat between his legs and leaning on his chest. I sniffled, hiding myself in his chest sheepishly.

"Talk to me (y/n). I want to help you." He tried but I just couldn't believe him. So, I shook my head at him.

"Please?" Turning myself slightly, I buried my face into his purple vest. My shoulders shook violently. Instantly, he began to rub my back soothingly.

"I hate him." I stuttered out, feeling pathetic.

"Tell me everything. I'm here for you. I'll listen." Taking a deep breath, I pressed myself against the warm male more. Though I found it hard to believe, that he'd actually be interested in listening to me, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to vent.

"It started a few months ago. He'd always been angry, he'd yell when I made mistakes or did something he didn't like. But when he started getting physical, I tried to leave. He didn't like that and he pushed me down the stairs." The masters grip on me immediately tightened after I had said that. Clearly, he was angry but I wasn't scared at all.

"After that, it didn't stop. Every time I forgot something, he'd hit me. If I spoke back, he'd hit me. If I went out alone, if I didn't clean, if I didn't cook. Especially when I spoke about you guys. Everything landed with him getting angry. And he took it out on me.  Every time." I concluded, his vest getting damp from my tears but he didn't mind. Holding my shoulders, the master pushed me back and held me at a comfortable distance.

His thumbs brushed my cheeks dry, a calming look in his eyes. Before he could say anything, I spoke out my own insecurities.

"Now I'm going to be on the streets right? I'm gonna be alone again. I don't want to be alone, please. Please don't leave me alone."

"Shh, come here." Hooking his hands under my arms, the master sat me on his lap properly; head landing in the crook of his neck. Now straddling his thighs, I was much more snug against him and able to hug him tightly. His arms were almost possessive around my waist, but i enjoyed it.

"I am never going to let you be alone. Ever. You're stuck with me. And I promise you, that he will pay." He spoke softly, kissing my cheek soon after. Turning pink, I managed to collect myself a little. My body began to go a little limp in his hold, everything seemingly catching up with me.

"Are you tired?" All I could do was nod at his words, i could tell he wanted me to sleep. But I was scared.

"Can't sleep."

"Why not love?"

"Nightmares." Understanding, the master cupped my cheeks and stared into my eyes.

"Would you like me to help with that." Nodding once again, his lips pressed against my temple and I was out for the count. Once I was asleep, the master tucked me in then stood. For a moment, he pondered what to do then began his journey back to the console room. The doctor looked at him anxiously, clearly wanting to know what happened.

"I want to kill him." He told her directly, alerting both yaz and Dan. They rushed over as he came in front of the doctor. She inhaled deeply, staring at him with intent.

"Its bad?"

"Its worse than you can imagine. Tell me no or else I'm going to kill him." Quickly, the blonde started to fly her ship. Rushing around the console, she flicked different levers and pushed the right buttons. The tardis landed with a thud.

"Where are we?" The master asked, forehead lined with frustration. All those pent up feelings weren't good for the mind.

"Outside (y/n)s House." She went over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Get him." Their eyes went wide in shock. The doctor was actually giving him permission to kill him. Not needing to be told twice, the master grabbed his jacket and rushed out.

Just waking up from a black out, the unsuspecting male stumbled into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine. Suddenly, the door slammed behind him, causing him to jump and drop the drink. He turned and saw the outline of another man in the shadows. Out came the master, arms folded tightly. Backing up, the human was utterly confused.

"What are you doing in my house?" He slurred, eyes going up and down repeatedly. Chuckling, he walked closer and unfolded his arms, revealing a dagger in his fist. Immediately, the man sobered up and swallowed thickly.

"What's your name?" The master asked, not sparing him a glance.

"Michael." Nodding, he took another step closer as Michael began shaking.

"Hello Michael. You're going to come with me." Of course, he complied and followed the master out and into the tardis. Once on board, he was in a state if shock. But the master payed this no mind and began to fly the tardis skillfully. Once he was happy with the place they were adrift, he stalked back over.

"Before you die- and believe me, you really are going to die- tell me. What pleasure did you get out of hurting (y/n)?" Michael's face went sour, realisation setting in. He scoffed and looked away.

"Is that what all this is about? That stupid girl. For fuck sake!" Raising his brows, the master watched in amusement, as the human had his tantrum.

"What bullshit has she been spewing now? All she does is lie! Even made up some guy with a dumb name. Just to pretend anyone would actually give a fuck about her! I never hurt her! She's just pathetic." He told him, rolling his eyes afterwards. It was silent for a second before he began again and, as you can imagine, the rage was growing tenfold inside the timelord.

"I did not hurt her! Never. God she's infuriating. Are you just going to stand there? Looking at me as if I'm stupid, it's unnerving." Michael asked, making the master shake his head with a slight pout.

"No you carry on. You're only making your death more painful." The look in his eyes was that of ice and he felt his blood go cold. It finally set in. Whoever this man was, he was being serious.

"Why do you care so much?" Ignoring the question, the master tutted quietly and lead him to the doors.

"This 'guy with a dumb name'? What did she call him?"

"Uh- The master I think. Why does that matter? Who even are you?" A smirk grew on his lips, gazing at the male with a murderous glint in his eye.

"Well, I'm not made up. That much, I'll tell you." Clicking in, Michael looked extremely confused and took a step away.

"You're the master? You're real? So she was cheating! That little bitch! When I get my hands on her I'm going t-" Instantly, the dagger was pressed to his throat, cutting him off. The master pushed him against the closed door, teeth gritted together. 

"You really are thick." He laughed out but wasn't happy even in the slightest. Michael let out a strangled breath, staring at him in fear.

"Never hurt someone I love. It won't end well for you." Gripping the back of his shirt, he opened the doors to reveal looming darkness.

"What's that?"

"That, stupid human, is a black hole." The master muttered, taking the dagger away from his neck. Without a second thought, he impaled Michael's waist. He cried out but the master didn't care. Instead, he drew him in closer and spoke into his ear.

"Enjoy your time in hell." With that final statement, he was thrown out into the void, tardis doors shutting behind him. Resting his head against the doors, he let out a breath. At least he knew this therapy was working. The master didn't get half as much joy as he used to. But he didn't regret it. Not at all. Feeling a hand land on his shoulder, he turned to see the doctor. She had a sympathetic smile.

"Go. She needs you." He smiled, nodding in recognition before heading back down to my room. Finding I was still asleep, he took off his shoes, jacket and waist coat, before slipping in on the free side. Carefully, he pulled me closer and relaxed as I subconsciously attached myself to him. Maybe even he could fall asleep like this.

Groggy, my eyes forced themselves open. Going to move, I found myself under something- or someone- weighted. Looking to my left, I found the master. He's was sleeping. That was odd, he never slept. Taking this opportunity, I sunk back down and buried my face into his chest. It was warm and safe.

My movements must have woke him as he stirred a moment later. His hands tightened on my waist and I quickly hid my face in his shirt.

"That doesn't make you invisible you know?"

Turning red, I gazed up at him.

"You were asleep."

"No I wasn't."

"Was." It went silent. Just staring at each other until he gave in. Casting his eyes to the beams on the ceiling, the master spoke.

"Maybe I was." I smiled and tried to adjust, get more comfortable.

"You never sleep." Carefully, the male pulled me further onto his chest, a hand still encasing the dip of my waist.

"No, I just can't sleep. There's a difference, love." Ignoring how my blush grew, I allowed myself to bask in his warmth. It felt nice. It fight oddly right. To be there, in his arms. A man I was once told to fear, to avoid at all cost. He now lay here holding me as if I could disappear. Mind starting to catch up, I suddenly remembered just how I got in this situation.

"What did you do? When I was asleep?" I asked, looking up at the master with wonder. He rolled his head against the pillow, eyes scanning my face. A hand traced the bruise on my cheek tentivley, a tense sigh breathing by his lips.

"Do you want the truth, right now? I don't want to upset you." Our eyes locked and I nod surely, letting him know I could handle the truth.

"I took Michael. I listened to his shitty lies. I let him talk, let him grow scared. Though, I could have done it for longer but I was too angry." He started, glaring up at nothing in particular. Sensing his growing anger, I reached forward and laced our fingers together. The master looked at our hands, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

"I stabbed him. I threw him into a black hole. He's in a million pieces now. Floating through space. Dead." Maybe he was expecting me to recoil in fear, or give him a lecture. Instead, I sat up with a smile. I leant down and kissed his cheek, causing his eyes to widen in the process.

"Thank you. For saving me." Even if my voice was quiet, the master grinned and sat himself up as well.

"You don't have to thank me doll. I'd do it again in a heart beat." Pushing back the covers, the master got himself up.

"Wait right here." Then, he rushed out, leaving me alone. I smiled to myself, going to the bathroom. After doing what needed to be done, I washed my hands and looked in the mirror. As much as I loved my hoodie, I pulled it off and felt more comfortable. Seeing as I was wearing a sports bra, I turned and head back into my room. It wouldn't matter, I could throw a tshirt on if the master was uncomfortable. Crawling back onto my bed, I sat on my knees and grabbed my phone. Finally, I deleted Michael's number and hovered over my photo gallery. Once I have clicked on it, my heart dropped at all the cold memories stored there. They hurt to see. So caught up in my phone, I didn't hear the door open. The master looked up and froze, eyes raking over my figure. Quickly, he shook those thoughts away and came to my side, gently placing two mugs down on the bedside table.

"What are you doing?" He asked, moving so my back was flush to his chest. I showed him my phone screen, all the photos now highlighted.

"I'm deleting all of it." Nodding, the master watched as I did so and noticed how my eyes grew sad at the now black screen.

"Dont be upset, love. Its over now." Gently, he pulled me between his legs, resting back against the pillows. My body followed his, relaxing against him.

"I made you tea." Carefully, he handed me a steaming cup of tea. I took it gratefully, blowing the steam in effort to cool it. For a while, we sat there, drinking tea whilst I listened to a few of his stories. I loved hearing about his and the doctors childhood. It sounded almost magical. Whilst the master was speaking, I looked up and found myself staring at the alien. At least now I didn't have to feel guilty about my feelings. Not that I ever did, it's not like I wanted to be either Michael in the end. The cup, now empty, was taken from my grasp, knocking me out of my daydream. The master grinned down at me, brushing his fingers through my hair.

"What's with that look?"

"What look?" I asked, eyes never leaving him. Chuckling, he let out a sigh before moving his free hand down to my waist.

"I should have tortured him more. He deserved it." His fingers danced around the bruise on my stomach, light touches almost making me shiver.

"It doesn't matter now." Still, I could see it was bothering him.

"He was never a good boyfriend, even before the really bad times." The master never stopped his hand from moving, giving me full attention.

"How so?"

"He never showed me love. I could never hold his hand, or hug him. He never kissed me. I was just an accessory to him." I explained, frowning at the memory.

"Over a year of neglect. Maybe that's all I'm worth." Immediately, the master whipped his head to look me right in the eyes. It almost made me flinch.

"Absolutely not. That man was an absolute idiot. A waste of space." He seethed, inhaling sharply afterwards.

"I would never treat you like that. I would never let you go. I'd-" We both froze as he slowly realised the weight of the words he just spoke.

"I mean. Hypothetically." The master slightly stuttered. My mouth was parted, blinking in the informed.

"I would treat you better anyone. Because that's what you deserve." A smile grew on my lips, listening as the; usually calm male, fumbled with his words.

"Not that you would be interested. Now or ever. But I'm just-" Giggling, I kneeled up, gripping his collar and pressing his lips against mine. Initially surprised, the master held onto my waist and melted into the kiss soon after. Pulling back, I was taken aback when the male pulled me into his chest. My head rested against his shoulder comfortably.

"If I'd have known that the feeling was mutual, I'd have taken you away from him much sooner." The master stroked the top of my hair, pressing a kiss to my temple lovingly. Simpering, I nuzzled in closer.

"You're here now. That's all that matters." And that was the truth. From then on, everything would get better. As long as he was by my side.

[praxeus-13]

Secrets

Pairing: Dh!Master x Reader

Word Count: 4900

Summary: The Doctor and the fam are hanging out on the TARDIS one day when they realise they haven’t seen you or The Master all day, none of them quite expect the sight that greets them when they find you.

Warnings: none

A/N: Reader is gender neutral in this. Also yay! I finally have time to write and post! I have a lot of fics planned, so hopefully I’ll be able to find the time to write them over winter break, tho I do have a shit ton of uni work still to do 😅

It was quiet, that wasn’t completely unusual on the TARDIS, but considering the recent addition of The Master to Team TARDIS it had The Doctor on edge. He’d begrudgingly joined them on their adventures after The Doctor had come across him moping about at the edge of a deserted galaxy, The Master hadn’t even been destroying anything, he was just sitting all alone on what he’d called an unimportant planet. The Doctor, of course, had been concerned by his uncharacteristic behaviour and had forced encouraged him to join them aboard the TARDIS. Understandably, her fam had objected, especially after he started to occupy himself by finding as many ways to inconvenience her friends as possible.

It had been eight months since The Master had joined them, and he had yet to stop annoying Graham, Ryan and Yaz - despite the numerous interventions and talks she had had with him about it. Much to The Doctor’s surprise, she never found you complaining about The Master’s antics, though she had suspected that he had developed a bit of a soft spot for you. After all, you had been the first out of her friends to welcome him - probably helped by the fact that you joined the group after The Master revealed himself, and thus only met him eight months back.

Recently The Doctor realised that she’d grown used to this new normal, that she was used to the occasional yelling of her friends after The Master had yet again hid half of their clothes, or simply jump-scared them - often accompanied by The Master’s maniacal laughter. However, she had yet to hear anything like that this morning, not one complaint about missing items from her fam, not one cackle out of The Master, she hadn’t even seen anyone all morning.

It was almost peaceful.

Which definitely meant that something was wrong.

Quickly The Doctor got up, abandoned her tools, and headed in the direction of the kitchen. It was about lunchtime, which meant that her friends would probably be gathered together making food, she just hoped that one of them would have seen The Master. Of course, she’d usually just ask the TARDIS where he was, but the circuits she’d been upgrading were the internal communication circuits, so that was currently out of the question.

“FAM!” The Doctor exclaimed as soon as she rounded the corner, standing dramatically in the doorway to the kitchen.

All of her friends had startled as soon as she appeared, it made her feel bad, but she currently had more pressing matters to focus on.

“Have any of you seen The Master today?!”

“…uh, no?” Ryan was the first to answer, still looking a little shocked from her entrance but trying to play it cool.

Graham took a dramatic sigh before answering, “Not yet luckily.”

“I haven’t either, why’re you asking?” Yaz replied, pausing making her lunch and turning all of her attention to The Doctor.

“It’s quiet, too quiet, and I haven’t seen him since last night. Which most likely means that he’s up to something.”

Graham groaned, “Why do we have to assume he’s up to something? Can’t we at least wait until after lunch to assume he’s doing something evil?”

The Doctor simply gave him a look, causing him to groan again, though he put his sandwich down. However she was quickly distracted by a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, she was missing something, something obvious. She looked back at her friends, and then she realised.

“Where’s Y/N?”

Her friends seemed to only notice your absence once it was pointed out, all looking around the room before looking back at The Doctor with blank faces.

“I haven’t seen them since last night.” Yaz told her.

“Me neither.” Ryan and Graham agreed with her.

Suddenly The Doctor felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. You were clearly The Master’s favourite out of the fam, what if he’d done something to you? Naively, The Doctor had hoped he was developing a soft spot for you - but what if it was simply an obsession? What if this had been his plan all along, to get close enough to harm you?

The fam seemed to come to a similar conclusion, horror dawning on all their faces.

“You don’t think-“

The Doctor didn’t give Ryan an answer, just turned around and ran through the TARDIS halls. She’d been at the TARDIS console most of the night, so at least she knew the two of you were still on board. Her first instinct was to head to the library, both you and The Master spent a fair amount of time there, it would have been the perfect place for an ambush.

The Doctor slowed once she entered the library, and she could hear the footsteps of her fam slow down as well. The library was surprisingly quiet as well, but The Doctor was still on edge. The fam followed her and she weaved her way through the aisles, coming to a sudden stop right before the rows of bookshelves gave way to one of the reading areas.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted them. On one of the plush purple sofas The Master was laying down, fast asleep. That in itself would have been enough to shock The Doctor. However he wasn’t alone, you were laying next to him, curled into his side and fast asleep as well.

Huh.

The Doctor had known that The Master was developing a soft spot for you, but she definitely didn’t suspect anything like this. It was almost cute.

“Are they- Are they actually cuddling?” Graham was the first to speak, slightly startling the rest of them despite his voice being barely above a whisper.

“Uhhh… yeah, certainly seems like it.”

“Does anyone else think this is horrifying yet adorable?” Yaz queried, gaining agreement from the rest of them. “Glad it’s not just me.”

“What do we do? Do we wake them up?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah, what if he’s done that hypno- whatsit on Y/N?” Graham butted in.

“Hypnotism, I mean it would be a very odd thing to hypnotise Y/N to do, but we can’t rule it out I suppose.” The Doctor’s thoughts were zipping around in her brains, desperately trying to find all the signs she missed.

And there was so much she missed.

The Master’s ‘practical jokes’ had been lessening lately - both in frequency and maliciousness. The Doctor had chalked this up to him finally starting to settle in properly, but maybe that was the result of him spending more time with you? She hadn’t seen you around as much either, but with four humans plus The Master on board, she had hardly noticed. Then, the most obvious, there was the fact that the two of you had started to pair off more on adventures. Honestly, she had just thought that you were becoming good friends!

Maybe you were just friends? After all, friends were allowed to hug each other. Sure, the position you were in definitely leant more towards romantic entanglement rather than platonic, but that didn’t always mean something.

Just when The Doctor was about to reply, she and the fam were distracted by movement on the couch. You stretched slightly, but then snuggled even closer to The Master, your face smushing into his neck as you smiled. In turn The Master hummed contentedly, somehow bringing you even closer and wrapping his arms around you protectively. The Doctor could have sworn she saw a smile on his face.

Okay, probably not just friends.

The Doctor didn’t know what to do, she hadn’t considered this possibility. Regrettably, she was not prepared for The Master being romantically involved with you at all, which meant that she needed time to think. Putting a finger up to her lips, she turned to her companions and gestured for them to return the way they had came. For now, you and The Master had no clue that the rest of them knew about whatever was going on between the two of you. So, she had time to think, to observe the two of you, to find out if he was hypnotising or manipulating you, or if whatever this was was something genuine on both your parts.

Once they were back out in the hallway The Doctor explained everything to the other members of the fam, all of them agreeing to keep an eye on the two of you. The Doctor then walked off back to the console room, she needed to be alone with her thoughts for a little while.

——

You were warm and cosy, that was what you registered first. Of course, it wasn’t unusual to be warm and cosy when you woke up, but these days it was a new constant in your life, all because of one (alien) man. The Master.

When he had come onboard the TARDIS eight months ago you, you would have never imagined how your relationship developed. He’d pissed you off at first, especially since most of his ‘pranks’ had been directed at you. Once he had decided to take all of your jumpers and hoodies, just after you had returned from a particularly frosty adventure in Antarctica, causing you to confront him.

“You!” You sneered accusingly at The Master, who was lounged on one of the sofas in the library.

He placed his book down and raised an eyebrow, “Can I help you?”

“Give me my jumpers and hoodies back, now.” You tried to sound demanding, but you were still shivering from the lingering cold.

“No.” He smirked at you.

“No? What do you mean no?! I’m cold! I need layers to keep warm!” You pouted at him, unable to keep up the scary demeanour.

He chuckled slightly, “Well, that’s easily solved.” And then he lifted up the blanket that was laying over him and shuffled to make room for you.

You simply stood there in shock, not quite believing that The Master of all beings was inviting you to cuddle with him!

“Come on love, if you stand there any longer you’ll probably end up freezing to death.”

Hesitantly, you stepped closer and closer to the sofa, until you were stood inches from The Master, looking down at him. He offered his hand to you, and you gave him yours in turn. Then, slowly, he pulled you down into his hold, and covered you with the blanket. With his warmth enveloping you, you soon stopped shivering, though you didn’t leave him.

After that, cuddles in the TARDIS library became a regular for the two of you, soon turning into cuddles and kisses in your respective bedrooms, sneakily holding hands on adventures, and being there for one another behind closed doors. You loved him, not that you had told him yet, but you truly did.

Part of your hesitancy towards telling him was due to the fact that you were still keeping your relationship hidden from your friends. It wasn’t as though you didn’t want to tell your friends, you just didn’t know how to tell them, and you were scared for their reactions.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of your mind you stretched and finally opened your eyes. Your first sight was The Master, still asleep, and you took a moment to appreciate him. Then you took in your surroundings and your heart leapt in your chest as you realised you had fallen asleep in the library, where anyone could have walked in.

“Master.” You shook him slightly.

He woke with a questioning hum, sleepy eyes looking at you with curiosity.

“We fell asleep in the library.” You half-whispered.

“…And?” The Master replied.

“Anyone could have walked in and seen us!”

“Mm, but they didn’t love, otherwise we would have been woken up.” He told you, his voice still rough from sleep, as he pulled you closer again.

You didn’t reply, instead giving him a worried look. He sighed and sat up, moving you with him.

“It’ll be okay love,” He cupped your face with both his hands, observing you until he seemed satisfied that you believed his words - and you did believe him, even if you needed a little reassurance sometimes.

The Master smiled at you, “Come on, shower and breakfast is in order.”

“More like brunch by now.” You retorted, checking your phone to see that it was already past 11am.

The Master chuckled and lead you out of the library.

——

In the past week, nothing out of the ordinary had happened, at least nothing that was out of the ordinary for your life. A couple of trips back in time, a couple adventures on distant planets, an ungodly amount of running, and sneaking into The Master’s bedroom once your friends had gone to sleep each night. Yep, completely ordinary week for you.

Which is why your friends’ strange behaviour made absolutely no sense.

You couldn’t quite explain it, but they’d been acting weird around you, jumpy as though they were keeping something from you. However there weren’t any holidays coming up and your birthday had already passed this year, so their weird behaviour was worrying you.

You’d tried asking all of them about it individually, The Doctor had pretended not to hear while doing some engineering on the TARDIS, and the other three had come up with various excuses that you didn’t believe. It frustrated you that something was wrong but they weren’t willing to tell you. Luckily, you still had one person on the TARDIS who wasn’t acting weird around you.

You knocked on The Master’s door and let yourself in. His living space was becoming one of your favourite rooms on the TARDIS, it had dark wood panelled walls and an overall regal look with lots of purple accents. There was also a lot of clutter, mostly little projects and pieces for said projects. Occasionally you’d ask him about whatever he was working on, and he’d talk you through his whole process (secretly you’d only ask him to hear his voice, but he didn’t need to know that). He’d also gotten used to you being in his rooms, hence why you walked right in.

The Master was sat on his couch, reading a book that he placed on an end table once he saw you.

“Hello, love.” He grinned at you, making room for you to sit down next to him.

“Hello Master,” You smiled at him, cuddling into his chest as he wrapped an arm around you.

He hummed and nuzzled your neck, “How are you today, my darling?”

The combination of the pet name and him speaking so close to your ear caused you to shiver. It almost got rid of the knot of worry that had nestled itself in you, almost. The Master seemed to notice something was wrong, as he pulled back slightly so he could look at you properly.

“Have you noticed the others being kind of… off, this week?” You queried, not quite knowing how to word it.

“Quite honestly love, I don’t pay much attention to anyone else on this ship.” He smirked, and you rolled your eyes.

“You and I both know that’s not true, you may not like Ryan, Graham or Yaz, but they’re still my friends - which means you still keep an eye on them at the very least.” You retorted.

“Mmm, you know me so well.” He leaned in to kiss your cheek, causing you to relax further into him.

It had surprised you, at first, just how physically affectionate The Master was. You’d assumed after the first cuddle session that it would be a one off, that he’d kill you if you ever mentioned it to anyone (not that they’d believe you), but he’d only gotten more and more cuddly as your relationship had grown.

“Okay, yes, I have noticed they were behaving stranger than usual this week. I’d just assumed it was something to do with me, and I didn’t care enough to find out what.”

“Definitely not just you, they’ve been weird around me too. I tried to ask them what was wrong but they all made up little excuses and scurried off. The Doctor even pretended she didn’t hear me!” You exclaimed gesturing wildly, “I just- they’re my friends, and I’ve obviously done something to upset them, but I don’t know what!”

You flopped back into The Master’s hold and sighed, for a moment he simply held you close, rubbing circles on your back.

“Look, whatever it is they’ll probably get over it soon enough. It can’t be that bad if they’re still talking to you.” He reassured you, already helping you feel much calmer than you had all week.

“But, what if they found out about us somehow?”

“The Doctor probably would have kicked me off the TARDIS already love, and your friends would have helped her.” You glared at him, unamused.

“No they wouldn’t, I wouldn’t let them.”

The Master’s expression softened.

“Of course not love, I’m just teasing. I’m sure that whatever it is will be forgotten about soon enough.”

“Hopefully.”

“In the meantime, would it perhaps help if I could take your mind off them for a while?” The Master suggested, leaning in to kiss you again.

“Hmm, I think it might.” You replied with a giggle, kissing him back eagerly.

——

As The Master had predicted, your friends soon went back to normal. You still had no clue what had caused their strange behaviour, but you didn’t bring it up again. Instead you focused on your adventures and your relationship with The Master, separately of course.

After a few rather hectic adventures, The Doctor had decided that you all needed a bit of a break, in the form of a 38th century cruise spaceship. The Doctor had explained that there were many fun activities taking place on the cruise, but the main one was the ball. An evening of dancing, eating and socialising to help you and the rest of the fam relax a bit.

You were all looking forward to it, and you could tell The Master was excited too - not that he acted like it. Sometimes you thought he tried a little too hard to protect his reputation, but then you remembered just how lucky you were that he allowed you to see the real him when so many others were denied the chance.

Currently, you were in the TARDIS wardrobe getting ready for the ball with the others. You had elected to wear a simple black suit with a dark purple lining and accents, partially because you liked the look of it, and partially because you thought it would go with whatever The Master decided to wear. You may be hiding your relationship from your friends, but you still wanted the subtle sign that he was yours (and you were his in turn). Exiting your dressing room you smiled at Graham and The Doctor, both wearing suits as well.

“Nice suit, it suits you!” The Doctor told you, looking very pleased with her terrible pun.

You rolled your eyes and huffed out a laugh while Graham simply groaned. Ryan exited next, wearing a suit as well, tho it had a neon-coloured cubic pattern speckled over it. Then The Master exited.

He was wearing a black suit as well, though it had flowers embroidered in dark grey thread on it. He’d paired it with a reddish-purple waistcoat, a matching bow tie, and a dark grey shirt. He looked stunning, and in that moment you found yourself yearning for the freedom of a more public relationship, simply so you could tell him just how good you thought he looked. Instead you raked your eyes over his body and gave him an appreciative look, knowing he’d understand.

To your surprise he seemed to do the same to you, his eyes studying your appearance in a way that made you blush slightly, and giving you a far more suggestive look than you had given him. He was usually very subtle about your relationship, especially in front of The Doctor, but you weren’t going to complain in this moment.

Just then Yaz walked out of her dressing room, though your eyes lingered on The Master for a few moments longer. Taking advantage of the distraction, The Master winked at you, causing you to grin coyly before finally turning your attention to Yaz.

She was wearing a lovely rose gold coloured dress, it wasn’t overly flashy or attention grabbing, but you knew she’d still get a fair amount of admiration at the ball (though you suspected most of that would come from The Doctor).

The Doctor soon lead you all out of the wardrobe into the console room, piloting to your destination. You gazed in awe at the ship once the doors opened, it was decorated in a baroque-esque style and almost made you feel as though you didn’t quite belong in the ship. Still, you followed The Doctor through the hallways until you came to the ballroom. It was stunning, the room itself had the same baroque-esque look to it, though it was even more extravagant. Instinctively, you looked back to The Master and grinned, gaining a soft smile in return.

“Alright fam, all the food and drink should be good for human consumption - but if you’re unsure just ask! Let’s say two hours of mingling, then we’ll reconvene back here?” The Doctor addressed you all, gaining agreement before everyone started to dart off in different directions.

You had hoped that you would get some time alone with The Master, unfortunately it seemed that Yaz had other ideas as she invited you over to the bar with her to get some drinks.

An hour later you had finally managed to ditch your friends, it wasn’t as though you didn’t like hanging out with them - of course you did - but at an event like this you’d rather spend time with your partner. Once you found him you felt yourself relax, previously unaware of how tense you’d been without him. Larger social gatherings like this definitely made you anxious, but having The Master by your side helped a lot, mostly because you knew he’d never let anything bad happen to you.

He smiled at you and then nodded his head to the entrance. Intrigued, you followed him as he lead you out of the ballroom.

“Where are we going, Master?” You queried, grabbing a hold of his hand.

“You’ll see.”

Eventually the two of you came to another ballroom, though it was completely empty. There was a layer of dust over every surface, giving you the impression that this room hadn’t been used in a long time. The distant music from the party echoed through the halls into the ballroom giving it a haunted feel, but not a creepy kind of haunted, mor like the sort of haunted feeling you got from a placed that had so clearly been loved once, as though that love and warmth was still living in the walls.

After looking around the room you turned back to The Master, only to find him stood with one hand behind his back and the other stretched out towards you.

“Care to dance, my love?” He asked you charmingly, causing you to blush wildly.

“Of course, Master.” You replied, taking his hand eagerly and grinning.

He pulled you in close and began to guide you through a waltz, in time with the music from the ballroom. In that moment you felt as though you could spend the rest of your life with him, even if it was just the two of you alone in the universe, you’d always feel content by his side. That realisation seemed to finally give you the boost of confidence you had needed.

“I love you.”

The Master stopped dancing, looking at you with a mix of shock and awe.

“What?”

“I love you, Master. You don’t have to say it back, I just wanted you to know.” You told him truthfully.

“I love you too, so much.” He replied, grinning wide with tears in his eyes.

The Master leant in to kiss you, and your lips met his halfway. You’d kissed him hundreds of times before, but this time felt different, it felt perfect. The two of you started dancing again, still keeping in time with the music but completely lost in each other’s presence. The Master moved his arm around your waist, you rested your head on his shoulder and let the world fall away around the two of you.

——

The Doctor had been keeping a close eye on both you and The Master in the past few weeks, and to her surprise she had seen nothing sinister, nothing potentially dangerous. In fact, all she had seen was subtle glances and secretive smiles between the two of you, she’d caught both of you looking at the other while they were distracted, and neither of you had anything but love to look at each other with. On one occasion she’d even seen the two of you holding hands when faced with a particularly terrifying enemy!

The Doctor had known The Master for nearly his whole life, and therefore always knew that he had a softer side to him. What she never expected was for him to develop feelings for a human, considering his general hatred of Earth’s sentient inhabitants. She’d had her reservations at first, knowing full well that whatever was going on between the two of you could just be another one of his schemes. However, given how secretive the two of you were, and all the little interactions she’d witnessed, The Doctor believed that The Master had genuine feelings for you.

Nevertheless, The Doctor had continued to keep on the eye on the two of you - just in case. Therefore, she noticed pretty quickly when the both of you disappeared from the ballroom. At the end of the day The Master was still The Master, no matter how much progress he had seemed to make these past few months. Luckily, the rest of her fam had noticed your disappearances as well.

“Come on fam.” The Doctor started to lead the way out of the ballroom.

“Doc, are you sure we should go looking for them, I mean what if they’re, y’know…” Graham asked, looking rather uncomfortable.

“Snogging?” Ryan snickered.

“Yes, we should, because there’s still a chance that Y/N could be in danger.”

The Doctor continued on through the halls, looking through each of the rooms to see if she could find the two of you. Finally, she came to another ballroom and was surprised by the sight of the two of you slow dancing in each other’s arms.

Well, at least you weren’t in danger.

It seemed that she had sped off a bit too quickly, as Ryan, Graham and Yaz soon came jogging up behind her, startling both you and The Master (who hadn’t noticed her approach). For a few moments everyone stood and stared at each other in complete silence, no one knowing quite what to do. The Master still had his arms around your waist, and The Doctor could see that he tightened his grip on you, as though he was afraid you’d be taken from him.

You coughed, gaining everyone’s attention, “So, uhhh..”

“You two are together?” Yaz asked.

You looked to The Master and smiled softly, getting a small smile in return. “Yeah, we are.”

There was another moment of awkward silence before you spoke up again. “Wait, none of you seem surprised?”

“We caught you two sleeping on one of the library couches a couple weeks back.” Ryan told you, causing you to playfully hit The Master’s arm.

“I told you!”

The Master rolled his eyes, “How was I supposed to know? I was asleep as well!” He laughed along with you.

“Is that why you were all acting weird around us?” You queried.

“Yeah, sorry about that cockle, it was just a bit of a shock is all. Still is to be honest!” Graham chuckled, putting all of you at ease.

“How long have the two of you been together anyway?” Yaz asked.

“Uhh, just over four months now - right?” The Master nodded in response to your question.

“How did you two manage to keep it a secret for so long?” Ryan exclaimed.

“Lots of sneaking around, though it does help when your partner has alien hearing that’s at least 10 times better than humans’.” You replied, smirking in a way that showed how much you liked showing off about The Master.

On the way back to the TARDIS Graham, Ryan and Yaz asked you quite a lot of questions, most of which you answered happily while holding The Master’s hand. Despite having watched the two of you for the past few weeks to make sure this wasn’t just another one of The Master’s schemes, The Doctor finally felt as though she could relax. You were safe, and both of you were happy, she was glad that The Master had managed to find someone who he could be himself around, someone who he could love. Stopping just outside the TARDIS doors, you turned back to look at her.

“You’re alright with this, yeah?”

“You’re happy?” The Doctor asked, addressing the both of you.

“Very.” You replied, while The Master simply looked down at you and nodded.

“Good, I’m happy for you - both of you.” She made sure to address The Master, who looked slightly surprised before he rolled his eyes at her.

“Now, movie night?” She suggested, gaining nods of approval from everyone.

It was going to take some getting used to, but The Doctor was truly happy for the both of you. Later that evening she looked over to see that you had both fallen asleep in each other’s arms, she smiled looking at the two of you, glad you had each other.

[sessa23]

Control: The Power of The Doctor story (Part 1)

(This story will be released in a number of parts, it's quite long but I hope you enjoy part one.)

(Summary: The Master is back (shocker) with his plan to erase the Doctor but what exactly is his plan. How does everything connect. His arrival has also brought back memories and rekindled feelings. Who is in control?"

(Warnings:Mentions of guns, the Master being a jerk. Flirting? Insults/burns, Mentions of Swarm, Azure and Weeping Angels.)

Your heart skipped a beat, as the video still ran though your mind.the master was alive but why was he suddenly appearing now. Why was he posing as a seismologist. You figured that he had some kind of plan up his sleeve "Y/N" The doctor's voice called breaking you from your thoughts "we have to go."

"Coming" You called out as you began to leave, while doing so you heard Tegan mention something to Ace about the Doctor sending her a Russian doll of a cyberman. You thought that was odd but didn't have time to question her about it.

The three of you soon arrived in Hotel, you walked into the lecture hall where the master said that he was. The two of you hadn't spoken for nearly two years, The Doctor and Yaz walked into the lecture room as you held back for a moment

In the last two years, you had battled many enemies, other than the master. The ones that scared you the most were the Weeping Angels, the love child of Red Skull and Lord Voldermort (A.K.A Swarm) and his sister Azure. You took a deep breath before you walked in.

The master's eyes lit uo as he saw you "Y/N, looking as ravishing as ever." You crossed your arms "Last time I saw you, you tried to kill us, where are we at now?" A grin came on his face "It varies from moment to moment." He replied as he winked at you. He spoke again "Tell me, do you still have that fire?" Sighing as you spoke "Who wants to know?"  You asked "The only man in your life." He began to walk up to you "Aww, you wouldn't be in my life if you were the only man left on the planet"

"Stick and stones Y/N" He replied as he came closer to you "Describing your breakfast?" The master chuckled as he stepped away from you "Nice to see that you haven't changed. I was just warning The Doctor to leave earth or it would be the death of her."

"What's makes you think that this plan of yours will be any different to the other times that you've been beaten? The doctor asked  "Because this isn't just the day that you die doctor." The master came closer to his frenemy "This is the day that you are erased, forever." You looked at yaz with a look of concern. There was a moment of silence before the master spoke again "bit of a conversation stopper isn't it?"

The master pranced over to you and Yaz "You see how clever I am Y/N, I've warned the Doctor about what will happen if she doesn't leave earth. The three of us know that she can't leave, not without stopping me but yet she know that I mean what I say. I can absolutely positively tell you that this is not an empty threat at all."

Just then the doors burst open, the UNIT soldiers came in with their guns aimed at the master. "Oh, oh! You brought soldiers! Are these for me? Oh, you shouldn't have. Is this rendition? I've always wanted to be renditioned. Or is it rendered?"

A soldier held the master as another one put him in handcuffs "Ooh, gentle, gentle, gentle, boys! Am I going to UNIT? I really really hope I'm going to UNIT." The master's comments made you suspicious "You're awfully in a good mood for someone who is being arrested." You quipped

"Give Yaz and Y/N" a gun" the Doctor ordered, you and Yaz looked at the Doctor "what?" You both asked "Cover him. We're going to take him in the TARDIS. Take the gun". The master then spoke "oooh she must be worried. she doesn't like guns." The two of you took the guns from the UNIT soldiers and aimed at the master

"Now Y/N love, do you even know how to use a gun" the master was tying to get in your head but you couldn't let him see that he was getting to you "Make one wrong move and you'll find out, babe." Your eyes widened as you realised what you said.

There was a moment of silence and looks of confusion bettween the soldiers before yaz broke the tension "Move!" At Yaz's words the soldiers began to escort the master to the TARDIS.  "Thank you all very much for coming, do be careful with the bodies. Pass them onto their loved ones from me."

It was not long before you took off in the TARDIS, yaz had her gun aimed at the master. He was talking to her while everything was running though your mind, The paintings, the master, the missing seismologists,the cybermen and the death star knock off. However all your thoughts kept going back to the master, the moments that you had together while he was disguised as "o"

"I know you missed me." The master's voice echoed inside your mind, you ignored the smirk that he gave you, turning to face the Doctor "This has all been too easy, especially how he looked pleased to be going to UNIT. I have a bad feeling about all this." You whispered to the Doctor.

Once you all arrived at UNIT HQ, two guards came into the TARDIS. They grabbed the master, Yaz turned to you "you okay Y/N?" You nodded "yeah. I had a feeling I'd see him again but now that he's here...it's just brought a few things back. Ryan owes me £20, now that the master has returned"

Just then the Guards took the master out of the TARDIS, The Doctor, Yaz and yourself walked out, the walls were lined with UNIT guards as the master was lead down the corridor. "

"Put him in the bunker. Constant monitoring, full security detail." Kate spoke "Ooh yes, the bunker! That sounds nice! I love a bunker! Anyone want to join, we could have so much fun. Bunk-up in the bunker?" The master turned to Kate "Your dad was an idiot" The UNIT soldiers started to take the master down the corridor

Looking up as a smile appeared on his face "Oh, Tegan Jovanka. Tell me, how's your Auntie Vanessa? Do you keep her in a little doll's house?" The master said while putting on the worst Australian accent you had ever heard. Tegan's eyes narrowed "I'm going to enjoy watching you locked up in a tiny cell."

"Yes, go on you tell the big bad master." mocked the master before he looked at Ace "And you brought along Ace, or should I say Dorothy. Didn't the Doctor ditch you? No? Little fallout with your Machiavellian maestro?" You noticed the death stare that the doctor was giving the master

Ace gripped the railing "Last time I saw you, master, you were half cat" her voice dripping with venom A smirk appeared on the master's face "A man's allowed to experiment." Kate's eyes narrowed "Enough, take him away" Kate hissed

The master chucked "haha. Yes, yes, take me away! You'll all feel much safer then with me in the building." The doctor turned to her TARDIS  "Oh you're not staying, Doctor? You're not going to leave them alone, are you... while you go Dalek hunting? Whoo" the master was cut off as the was pulled back into the elevator

"Well shit." A UNIT guard mumbled, you looked up at Tegan and Ace as they came down the stairs. Just then Kate got call, she turned to you "Y/N, you're needed downstairs please go down to the bunker." Kate looked at you "what?" You questioned. " A soldier handed you a different gun while Kate handed you a small device " the guards have said that they will feel safer. now please put this on before you enter. Do not let the master see it." You nodded as you concealed the device "what does it do?" Kate didn't answer your question "just do not let him see it"

You nodded as the two guards escorted you into the elevator "Ace, Tegan, I need you to stay here and monitor the Master, please also keep an eye on Y/N, make sure they're okay. We won't be long" the Doctor stated before the doors closed. You took a deep breath as the elevator took you to the basement.

[confusedhalfofthetime]

Hello how are you? I'm just wondering if I could request a Dhawan!master x reader request. The Master takes the reader stargazing, they talk while looking at the stars. When master goes to tell the reader that he loves them, the reader has fallen asleep in his embrace with a smile on their face.

Hello darling, I'm sorry this took a while but I was quite busy. It turned out pretty long, I hope it’s not confusing but I felt the need to explain the evolution of the Master’s feelings for the reader. Anyway, your ask was very very sweet and I hope you enjoy :) 

Plot: a love confession gone wrong. Or has it?

Warning: nothing but fuff.

It was a quiet day. The TARDIS was slowly swaying around the vast Universe, without a destination, its wheezing noise the only thing that could be heard. The Master had always liked that noise. It was calming, relaxing even and on days in which the incessant drums in his head prevented him even from hearing his own thoughts, that was the only thing that could keep him grounded. Or at least, it was before you came along.

He didn't like to admit it, but you had a sort of power over him, a way of simply being that made his racing mind go quiet. You had been travelling together for some time now and he had grown accustomed to your presence. Even fond of it. Having you around, with your bright eyes and brighter mind, your mischievous smile that could get him to do pretty much anything you asked, your never-ending questions, your curiosity that only he could satisfy. You made him feel like he mattered to someone. After the first few months of you following him around the Universe, he had started to feel something different, like a shift in the atmosphere. He had tried to keep it at bay, thinking nothing of it at first. You were nothing but a mere human he was entertaining himself with. Once he grew bored, he would leave you somewhere and be off. But that never happened. Because, much to his dismay, he knew that he would miss you if you were gone. Even right now, after dropping you off at what used to be your house before you joined him, he was feeling...lonely. He didn't like it. The Master huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He was sitting in his chair in front of the console, his feet propped up on it. He looked around the room, mostly to find something to keep his mind busy with but the only thought that came up was you. His gaze kept wandering over the furniture and small items decorating the room. He was a collector and he wasn't particularly tidy, so that resulted in a big mess most of the time. -You should really find a place where to put these- you kept telling him when you entered the TARDIS. -You'll end up tripping one of these days and most of these things aren't particularly safe either- He remembered the time you had fallen over a laser gun he had stolen a few days prior. It activated and started to shoot blindly. After that, you had forced him to put at least the weapons in a separate room. He smiled at the memory. You could be so damn bossy at times. Slowly, his smile faded from his face. He glanced at the phone you had gifted him with months ago. -What's this? - he had asked. -It's a smartphone. You use it to call people and text and take pictures...- -I know what a smartphone is- he had said, annoyed. -I mean, why are you giving me one, I already have a phone- -You have a relict, you mean- you had said pointing at the old landline phone sitting on his console. -You need something pocket size- -What for? - he had asked studying the device like it was the first time he saw one. -So that I can call you whenever I need. And you can do the same- you had explained like it was obvious. He had huffed out a laugh. -What would I need you for? - You had stuck your tongue out at him. -You're a jerk- "How long is this taking her?" he thought, getting up and checking his phone for any messages or missed calls. Nothing. He was getting bored. And he missed you. He shook his head firmly. No way, he didn't miss you. He was just bored. He couldn't stand staying put in the same place for too long. You were making him wait for too long, he didn't miss you. If anything, he was mad at you. For making him wait. And for making him feel all weird and dizzy. He started to pace around the room. He didn't like not knowing and right now his head was exploding with questions. Why was he thinking so ardently about you? Why couldn't he stop reminiscing your moments together? Why was he checking his damn phone when you had just left a few hours ago? He messed with his hair, like trying to shake the answers out of his brain. What could it possibly be? Right then, his phone let out a "ping". He looked at the screen and saw a text from you. "All done, come pick me out whenever it's convenient". He stared at it for a few seconds. He couldn't let you know he had been waiting for you all this time. "Did you take me for a taxi service? " he wrote out instead. "Busy blowing up planets, are we? " He scoffed. "You know me. I'm a busy man." "It's fine, I'll just run some more errands." "I'm on my way" "Missed me, have you? ;)" The Master cleared his throat nervously. "As if." And after that, he ran to the console to appear mere seconds later in front of your house. Yeah, maybe he had missed you.

-Could you be any slower?! - -I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have made the big bad ogre mad. Oh wait, that was you! - You and the Master were running for your life. What's new? He had thought it'd be fun if you two went to bother the literal king of a murderous species to get his most priced possession, the huge gem on top of his sceptre. The king didn't like that, of course. He could be pretty scary when he was angry, you had found. The creature behind you, however, was way scarier. It was a nine feet tall ogre looking beast, the bodyguard of the king, apparently. It was big but fast nonetheless, which made it harder for you to lose it. You were running as fast as you possibly could when suddenly, you tripped and fell to the ground, letting out a painful groan. The Master stopped abruptly in his track and ran back to you. -What the hell are you doing?! - -Oh, you know, I thought it would be fun to be eaten alive. I FELL, YOU IDIOT! - The Master rolled his eyes and gave you a hand, but as you tried to get up, you felt your ankle sting painfully. -Damn it, I think I twisted it- -What?! - the Master looked down at your ankle, then up at the monster gaining ground a few feet away. He put your arm around his shoulder and helped you steady yourself. You tried your best to speed up, although it cost you a lot of effort. Eventually, you managed to reach the TARDIS. The Master shut the door behind you and, as you pressed your back against it, he ran toward the console and activated it, taking you both away from there. Once he knew you were safe, he rested his hand on the console, trying to steady his breath. -Well, that was close- he said, turning toward you. -We had worse- you replied with a smile. The Master scoffed. -You're unbelievable- -What? - -You almost managed to get us both killed, and you say we had worse? - -But we did! Need I remind you of Archetryx?- -Oh, please don't- the Master raised his hands. -Besides, it was you who got all worked up about some stone- -Hey, it's not just "some stone". It's the gem of Dhakan- he said, taking the gem out of the inside pocket of his jacket. -It is said to have incredible healing properties and an even more incredible amount of interested purchasers- he explained, wiggling his brows. -Moreover, the king used almost all of its power. It probably only has one spell left, which means its price will probably skyrocket- You rolled your eyes. -You're such a materialist- you tried to take a step toward him, forgetting of your twisted ankle, which promptly reminded you with a sharp sting. You stumbled forward, but the Master quickly caught you before you could hit the ground again. You stared up at him and, for a moment, you got lost in his eyes, which were full of concern. -You got hurt pretty bad out there, uh? - he said, trying to fill the silence. -Uh...yeah I guess so- you found it difficult to articulate a full sentence when he stood so close to you. -Here, you should sit- He helped you to the closest chair and crouched down to hold your leg up. He inspected your ankle, handling it carefully. -It's getting swollen. I think you may have broken it- -Damn, this thing is gonna take ages to heal- you complained, throwing your head back in annoyance. -Just take me home.  I'll get a cab to the hospital- you said, scratching your forehead. The Master looked up at you thoughtfully. A broken ankle meant sitting home doing nothing for weeks, maybe even months. Humans were so frail and slow to heal. Furthermore, that meant weeks without you by his side. Now, that would be unbearable. That was when he realized there was a faster way to solve this. The Master took the gem out of his pocket again. Your eyes widened. -What are you doing? - -Healing you- he replied like it was obvious. -Now, stay still, it should be painless- -Wait, no- you placed your hand on top of his and he looked up at you. -No way I'm letting you waste the last of its powers for me. It's just a broken ankle, it'll heal soon- -Not soon enough- he said. -This is way faster- -But...you were gonna sell that. You said it was priceless- -I can find something else to sell. I'm good at finding priceless things- and he smiled, a soft smile that almost made you blush. You cleared your throat. -If you're sure...- -I am. Now stay still- and with that, he put the gem on your ankle. It started to glow and a few seconds later, your ankle was fine. The gem stopped glowing and became of a dull grey. -Here you go- he said. -Good as new- You rolled your ankle and got up to test it. It was like nothing had happened. -Damn, that thing is good- you smiled up at the Master. -Thank you. I know this was important to you- you said, pointing at the gem still in his hand. -Don't mention it, it's just a stupid gem. I'll find another one- -Maybe you're not as materialistic as I thought- you said, shoving him playfully with your shoulders. He avoided your gaze. -It was an easy solution to an easy problem. Besides, if I had to take you to the hospital every time you got hurt, I would hardly see you- You were taken aback. -Oh, so you would miss me- The Master froze. He couldn't let you see he cared, he couldn't expose himself like that. He scoffed. -Don't flatter yourself. You're a good resource, that's all- You lowered your gaze. -Right- The Master kept giving you mixed signals and you just couldn't understand whether he cared about you or what you could do for him. You were a good companion for him: you were a risk-taker, you were up for almost any one of his plans, you were able to keep up with him and you were clever enough to understand what he was talking about. So maybe that was all there was to it. But sometimes, when he smiled at you in a certain way, or he looked at you for just a little longer, or when he held your hand while running from a threat or, say, healed your ankle after you twisted it, you couldn't help but wonder if there could be more to it. You certainly hoped so. And for now, hoping was all you could do. You looked at the Master as he proceeded to type new coordinates in the computer of the TARDIS. You didn't know it, but he was internally cursing himself for being so obvious. He just couldn't help it, though. When you were in pain, he couldn't just stand by and watch. He had to act, to make you feel better. Besides, if you were hurt, you couldn't travel with him and, as he had found out, your absence was the most unbearable thing to him. He looked up from the laptop to look at you. You were studying the now useless gem he had discarded, turning it around in your hands. You looked focused and so beautiful. He brought his gaze back to the screen, feeling his hearts beating fast in his ribcage. There was no denying it anymore. He was in love.

The Master opened the door of the TARDIS to show an endless field of black flowers. A few days had passed since your trip to the Dhakan planet and, since then, he had tried his best to appear cold toward you but to no avail. He didn't want to get close to someone, knowing how dangerous this life was. How dangerous he was. But, as egoistical as it sounded, his need to keep you near prevailed. That day, you had asked him to show you "something sublime". He didn't have to think too much about it. -Welcome to Mistior, the planet of the plack flowers- You stepped out into the field and breathed in deeply. You would never get tired of the feeling of filling your lungs with a different kind of air. -It's beautiful- The sun was about to go down and the flowers swayed in the soft breeze. -The singularity of this planet is that there is nothing else, but the field you see- he explained, walking to stand next to you. You turned your head to look at him in disbelief. -Nothing at all? Just...this field? - -Mhmh- he nodded. -People used to come here from everywhere in the Universe- -So where is everybody now? - you said, looking around. There was no one in sight. -Today is the last day of life for this planet- -What? - The Master kept looking ahead. -Tomorrow its sun will explode and burn everything in a 500 miles radius- You nodded. You felt a sudden sadness at the thought. -Such a beautiful place...- you muttered. The Master looked at your profile, the melancholy clear on your face. He took your hand in his. -We better enjoy it while we can- You smiled and nodded and you two started walking slowly in the immense field. There was nowhere to go, but the calm and the silence around you was enough to keep you mesmerized. Once the moon came out, the Master stopped walking and laid down on the grass. -What are you doing? - He put his arms behind his head. -What does it look like I'm doing? - You rolled your eyes but laid next to him. -No stars- you said, confused. -We're too far from any other planet, the atmosphere is too thick and the moon too bright. It outshines any other form of light. At least the ones coming from the outside- You looked at him quizzically, but before you could ask him what he meant, the flowers around you started to glow. They weren't black anymore but of a bright white.   -The petals of the flowers are made of a material that filtrates the light. During the night, they absorb the rays of the moon and, in short, this is the result- You set down to have a better view and you exhaled slowly. Between all the places the Master had shown you, this was by far one of the most beautiful. You couldn't find the words to describe it. -This is...- -Sublime? - You looked at the Master and found him smiling up at you. You smiled back and nodded enthusiastically, before laying back down against his chest. The Master froze for a second but he soon wrapped his arm around your shoulder. -Thank you for showing me this place. And all the other places- The Master smiled. -Thank you for coming with me- -Best decision of my life- you replied. -Sure, the first time we met I thought you were totally bonkers but now that I know you I think it's part of your charm- The Master couldn't help but laugh. -Oh, so you think I'm charming- -Shut up- you hit him playfully on the chest and he laughed again. -To be honest, at the beginning I didn't think you were mad enough- -And now? - The Master tightened his grip around you and you scooted closer. "Now  I think you're mad for staying", he thought. Humans were so frail and he was so reckless. -I wouldn't keep you around if I didn't think you were mad enough- -Oh, I'm honoured- He could hear the smile on your face without having to see it. He could sense how relaxed you were feeling. -Maybe that's not the only reason I'm keeping you around- he found himself saying. He started to stroke your shoulder slowly. -Don't get me wrong, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but...I grew to like that part of you too- he didn't know why he was being so open all of a sudden. Maybe it was the atmosphere around you or the way your body felt warm against his, but it felt right. -I'm in love with you- It came out as a whisper, but loud enough for you to hear. But he was met with silence. He looked down at you and saw your eyes were closed. He rested his head back on the grass. He felt the need to read your thoughts, just in case you had heard him before drifting off. What he found was a blissful feeling of safety and warmth due to the closeness of his body to yours and to his voice. That was what lulled you to sleep. He smiled. He made you feel safe. Maybe he wasn't able to confess his feelings to you, but for now, what you had right then and there, was enough.

[13atoms]

An Artifice in Silver - Part Two

A/N - Part 1 was the angsty part of the challenge, written by @wonders-of-the-multiverse, so read that first!! It’s amazing!

Here’s my attempt to make the ending to this fic fluffy.

WARNINGS - Some death and Cyberman conversion are mentioned.

PAIRINGS: Dhawan!Master x Reader

WORD COUNT: 10,323 words

Part One | Part Two

Part Two: A Trap

It felt your though your head had only just collided with the ground when you were shaken awake. Your body been moved, swept awkwardly aside as you slept, clearing a path to the rest of the collapsed crowd from the door. Your head and limbs ached from the hard concrete of the ground, the air no longer green with smoke as you squinted to try and make out the people in the rest of the chamber.

All still human.

A few of them were moving, while others were out cold. You could only hope those nearer the epicentre of the gas being released were simply unconscious, their ragdoll bodies making you wince as they were shaken, loved ones and strangers alike desperately trying to wake them from their unnatural sleep. You could see the horror on the survivors’ faces as they picked over the group, struggling to regain movement in their own aching limbs even as that human instinct to help kicked in. Everyone looked worse for wear.

Motionless Cyber units now stood centurion around the room’s locked doors, terrifying even in their stillness. They appeared to be without instruction, frozen in place, but very much still functional. What was wrong with them? You knew the answer. Your mind drifted back to The Master.

Where the hell was he?

How could he do this to you?

To any one of these people?

A stranger filled your vision, and you felt panic surging through you instantly, heart pumping enough adrenaline to power your chemically-weakened muscles.

“You alright?”

The woman had the authority and certainty of a someone medically trained, a kindness in her eyes even through her fear. She grabbed at your shoulders, checking your vital signs, moving her hands to watch if your eyes tracked them. You groaned. It was all too much, too intense, and you tried not to see rude as you flinched away.

“I’m fine thanks,” you dismissed, peering past her.

You couldn’t take your eyes off the sheer number of people in here.

With a nod she scurried away, back to the rest of the room. They had no idea what was happening, peering up in fear at the frozen metallic claws, at the empty faces of the Cybermen.

You had been so close becoming that. Rotting flesh, trapped inside of a walking tombstone, at the whim of the hivemind which controlled these creatures. You shivered, noticing one frozen in place a few metres behind where the Master had been. They must have encroached on the halted conversion room whilst you’d been asleep, creeping in like demons in the night. Fear gripped you at the idea of those monsters stepping over your unconscious, unguarded body, preserving your form only for its use to them as a puppet.

Since you’d taken those casings apart, you’d been terrified of them. Of the fate which befell those trapped inside, stripped of their humanity. None of those people inside were any more or less worthy of life than you, no one had saved them. They were undead, beyond saving but not yet released from life.

You shuddered.

Your legs continued to shake as you clambered to your feet, tiptoeing closer to one of the Cybermen, expecting it to jump back to life any moment. One question wouldn’t leave your mind: Why were you still human?

You suspected the Master’s involvement but, from the devastation on his face as the gas descended, perhaps he hadn’t had as much influence as you’d thought. With another glance back at the door, you reminded yourself that your worst fears had been realised: he was still gone. Only a frozen monster in an otherwise empty corridor loomed back at you, still locked away by the thick doors which had separated you from him.

They must have closed again after Cybermen entered the chamber, and you knew you couldn’t open them. Cybermen were far too methodical to allow your escape.

Nothing added up. Especially that you were alive without The Master’s involvement.

Had he left on purpose? Assumed you dead? Given up on you?

You couldn’t bear to think about the worst case scenario: that he wouldn’t come back for you. Was he already running, a million lightyears away? Had the Doctor gotten to him?

Had he gotten to the Doctor?

Dwelling on your fears did nothing but make you freeze.

You needed to do something.

There were still people who needed help, you could help them.

But you couldn’t be drawn away from the door. For a sickening moment you wondered if you had imagined him, the way he trembled, begged for you to fight off the inevitable. Perhaps induced by your fear, had you imagined the one person in the universe who could comfort you?

You longed for him to come back, to tut at you for being so scared and tease you for not having a respiratory bypass system.

Instead, he was gone. You were trapped. The noise of the crowd had gradually increased again, raising to a murmur as whispers and hushed sobs of children echoed off the walls. Tones were hushed, everyone terrified of waking the machinery again. Of restarting the horror. Every movement in the room spooked people, and the crackle of an overhead announcement system made people huddle together, whispering frantically as you all anticipated a robotic voice.

‘You will be converted’ still stung fresh in your ears, that sound which had followed you, been offered as the only explanation for what was happening.

That soulless reading of a death sentence still loomed over everyone trapped here.

You tried to stand strong in your position – if nothing else you could be a barrier between the crowd and whatever came through this door – even as freshly-dried tears made your eyes ache.

When a Yorkshire lilt called your name through the speakers, and you smiled.

“Here!”

The group of people backed away from you, watching with equal fear and curiosity as you desperately shouted up to the ceiling, hoping she could hear you.

“I can open one of the doors for a moment, need a power surge and an external battery, it’s a whole thing. Can you see me?”

You scanned the perimeter of the conversion chamber, and spotted movement on the far side of the room. A few of the crowd moved to let you through, whispering, and you could have cried with relief. Her mane of blonde hair was visible through the clear panel of a door, and she waved to you manically as you jogged over it. It was a harsh contrast to how you’d spotted The Master. This time, your relief was warranted.

Unable to hear her, you relied on trying to understand how she pointed frantically to the ground at your feet, before crouching as the played with wires sticking out of something which looked suspiciously-bomb-like. You mirrored her pose, hidden from each other, now below the glass of the window.

You could hear muttering behind you, the shudder of your own breath, as you waited.

There was no rejecting the Doctor’s help now, no matter where your loyalties or personal grievances lay. With the Master gone, she was your only way out.

You had to trust her.

With a gut-wrenching clang the door suddenly shuddered and rose upwards. The thick metal looked too heavy to stop if it fell, but you just held your breath and rolled underneath, trusting her yelled command of:

“Quick!”

She scrambled to pull you clear of the door as it slammed closed like the heavy drop of a guillotine blade, making you cry out as it shook the ground. You had barely made it. That impact would have been fatal.

“Doctor!”

She was already stood, hands on hips. You found yourself left shaking on the ground. She was already on to the next problem.

“I hope that didn’t rewake the system.” She mused as she picked at the smoldering wires, seemingly unaffected by your near-death experience.

You were panting, staring at her in shock. While you’d realised a long time ago that she wasn’t any more careful with your wellbeing than the Master, you couldn’t believe her complete nonchalance. Were The Master in her shoes he would be dragging you back to his TARDIS, apologising for putting you in the situation, his bravado stripped the second he’d seen your wellbeing at stake. He’d be all gentle hands and mumbled reassurance, fury at every single person responsible for the construction of the machinery which had scared you so much.

The memory of his face through the door of the conversion room made your chest hurt, your eyes sting, and you knew he’d never forgive himself for being so reckless. For putting you at risk.

When you looked up, expecting a concerned look at the minimum, you saw the Timelord’s spot vacated. A rat’s nest of wires were the only indication she’d even been beside you. The Doctor was already walking away, shoes clicking on the metallic floor of yet another identical corridor. The Cybermen here were still too, making you hug yourself and run to keep up with her.

“What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” he ground out.

The Doctor couldn’t stand not knowing. She consulted her sonic screwdriver with a scrunched-up face, holding it to her ear, scanning one of the stationary suits as you finally caught up.

“Where’s the Master?” You demanded.

“What?”

“The Master.”

Her face turned dark, and she scowled.

“Of course he’s involved in all this. I should have known. Right, um…”

With another wave and buzz of the sonic screwdriver, she scowled at the result, then at you.

“Got him.”

Perhaps you shouldn’t have told her that he was here. Would it put him at risk? Would it put her at risk? You couldn’t bring yourself to feel guilty. They would have met eventually, dragged together like unwilling magnets. They always converged eventually. And you really needed to see him.

The Doctor took off running, backtracking occasionally as she followed the trace of him the sonic had picked up. You tried in vain to remember these featureless corridors, should you need to navigate back alone. It wouldn’t work. This facility was endless, an economically designed rabbit warren marked with ruthlessly minimal symbols which you couldn’t discern meaning from.

You wouldn’t be able to get out of here alone.

You spared a thought for the poor souls still trapped in the room you’d escaped, cowering under those metal claws and eyeless Cybermen, herded here like trembling sheep.

As you ran after the blonde Timelord the corridor suddenly opened to a large hangar-style door, like the hotwired one you had barely made it under. Seeing the metal above you made you shutter and halt at the threshold, but adrenaline forced you onwards. You cared more about what was inside, who was inside.

You could see him. Hunched over a computer, Cybermen shrunken at his feet like dolls, the Master was in a state of mania as he ripped the room apart.

Seeing him The Doctor gasped and tugged you around a corner and out of view of the room. You went to whisper a protest, but found her lean hand clapped over your mouth, barely touching but enough to stop you giving away her hiding spot.

“Just trust me,” she insisted. “Stay here.”

She grabbed your hand, squeezing it as though you might be less inclined to follow her somehow.

You couldn’t. Despite everything, you felt the draw of the Master, and she tugged your arm to hold you from straying too close to him as you peeked around the corner, just watching him.

His booming voice was unmistakable as he shouted into the room, but his face was hidden from you. The control room of the underground building was sparking and torn apart in places, The Master’s precise tapping of computer keys was interspersed with the ruthless smashing of server racks as he threw them to the ground, scattering the technology. His dismantling of the room was equal parts strategic and uncontrolled destruction, and you worried for the blood seeping from his knuckles and forearms, his jacket strewn aside and sleeves rolled up.

As he took another break from the computer system to punch at a glass pane, you couldn’t let him hurt himself anymore. You surged forward from your hiding spot, feeling the Doctor trying to hold you back. Adrenaline and happiness to see him was all which powered your body.

Calling to him, you imagined his excitement at realising you were alive. Maybe he’d stop smashing. Take you to safety.

“MAST–”

The Doctor grabbed you around the waist, pulling you against her body, muting you with a single hand clamped vice-tight over your mouth. For a moment the pair of you waited in silence, shocked by each other’s actions in equal measure.  

“I don’t know what he’s done to you, but you need to stay away from him.”

Her accent grew stronger as she whispered, and you frowned. Her hand allowed you to breathe through your nose, but was tight around your jaw, her grip as strong as the Master’s.

“This is between us. You need to go back to the TARDIS.”

Not her TARDIS, you were sure of that.

You grunted into her hand, making her yell in pain as you bit down on the flesh of her palm, wriggling to get free. It didn’t even matter who she was: you refused to be manhandled. Your eyes flashed to the corridor, hoping The Master had noticed you, run to your rescue.

No footsteps came.

With a sigh, her hands found your temple, and your body weakened.

“I’m sorry, it’s a dirty trick. He’s done worse, I’m certain.”

You wanted to cry when you realised she was right. But not for the reasons she thought.

Her TARDIS was a mere few-minutes’ walk from where the pair of you had hidden, and she half-carried you the whole way, her mouth set in a grim line which terrified you more than any time the Master had ever shouted around you. You wanted to struggle, to fight her, but your body was too weakened to do anything.

You couldn’t even cry out, forced into obeying her, muscles made limp by her touch on your mind.

Setting you on the ground in the console room, she finally uncovered your mouth and dashed to the doors, calling back to you. As quickly as you had lost it, you suddenly you regained your strength, able to run at her.

“Stay in here.”

“DOCTOR!”

She darted out of the time ship just in time to escape your fury.

The TARDIS doors slammed closed, locking in an instant as you rushed to try and tug them open. It was no use, your whole body weight against the wood couldn’t move those doors.

You looked up at the ceiling of the sentient ship, hoping she might take your side, only to be met with the gentle hum of the time rotor.

“I need to get out,” you begged. “Please!”

Your exit remained barred.

A blue-tinged screen on the console flickered to life, and you left your post by the doors to peer at it. You could hear muffled voices outside, the screen showing a mute overhead view of the Doctor and her best enemy.  

“Please,” you whispered to her, stroking the console. You hoped she was like the Timelords who piloted her, using the touch to tune into your heart. “Let me talk to them.”

There was static, then a click, and you rushed back to the doors. They were still locked.

As you spun to the console in confusion, two familiar voices echoed through the ship’s speakers.

“Is she in there?”

It was him, voice desperate, demanding. The Master.

“No.”

The Doctor was a weak liar at times. He’d see through her. You pounded your fists at the translucent glass of the doors, then held one palm flat against it, begging him to notice you.

He did.

“Doctor!” He taunted. “You lied to me!”

“Stay away from her.”

Glancing back at the monitor, you could see how the Doctor’s body blocked his access to the door, positioning herself between the two of them.

“She wants to see me.”

“She doesn’t.”

You wanted to scream, object as The Doctor stood cross-armed guard between him and the ship. Your words couldn’t permeate the doors.

“Is she okay?”

The feed showed how his attire was destroyed in places, how he slumped, and something else too…

“You’re crying!” The Doctor declared, shock clear in her voice.

The Master didn’t hesitate, taking a long stride towards her, making The Doctor jut her chin out.

“Is she ALIVE?”

You didn’t need the audio feed to hear his yell, and you could see how the blonde Timelord recoiled.

“Obviously!”

He relaxed a little, taking back control, but you could still see how anger dripped off him. His words escaped him as a growl – frustration and fear a melting pot in his voice.

“You have no idea what could be in that stuff she breathed. You haven’t even checked her over, Doctor.”

“Oh, as if you actually care.”

One of them would snap, the Master’s snarling voice met with a harsh laugh from the other Timelord. One of them would just throttle the other, pull the TCE or a gun from some deep recesses of their pockets, or snap the others’ neck. One of them would survive, pulling you into their arms over the broken body of the other.

You couldn’t bear it. Tension seeped through the doors, through the silence of the TARDIS speakers and the bluelight of the screen.

“I care so much it frightens me. Can you imagine that, Doctor? That it scares me?”

He got closer to her face, almost spitting from anger.

“You’re lying,” she growled.

“I destroyed the Cyberium.”

In the grainy monitor you saw her take pause, inspecting his face for a moment, like she’d be able to see whether the Cyberium had left him from nothing but his panting and the whites of his eyes.

You’d heard about it in vague terms, the Cyber AI which he’d absorbed. You’d seen how he avoided the species like the plague as you travelled, the way he fought with it inside his own head sometimes.

Even when it seemed to cause him unbearable pain, he’d promised you it wasn’t that bad. Only in the quiet moments, when he thought you couldn’t see, did you catching him muttering to himself with his eyes pressed shut.

“You what?”

The Doctor looked disbelieving.

“I followed it. I obeyed it, helped it, and this is how it rewarded me. So I killed it.”

Speechless, The Doctor just stared at him.

“I’ll give you the command codes if you like, just let me take her. Please.”

“Have you hypnotized her?”

The Doctor’s new line of attack made you wince, spitting out her words like poison. The Master held his hands up in a surrender, a small silver box tucked under one thumb.

“No. I swear.”

“Let me talk to her first.”

For a moment, the Master seemed to look straight through the monitor, directly at you, and you swore he could tell you were watching. You moved closer to the screen, arms folded nervously as his eyes flickered back to the Doctor.

“Have it your way. I’ll be in the ship’s command room.” He turned to walk away, but you heard his voice still, steady through the speakers. “If you dematerialise, Doctor, I will hunt you down. And everyone left here will die.”

He marched off and you watched on the monitor as he left, longing to run to him as much as you wanted to kill him. The Doctor’s image paused for a moment, and you could see her pacing outside the TARDIS doors. Distracted by the live feed, you jumped when the doors finally banged open. The screen went black, and you silently thanked the ship for being on your side.

“Let me go.”

You told her firmly as she trudged towards the console, playing with one of the instruments like she was toying with just piloting the ship away.

“I will.”

The pair of you stood in silence for a moment, and you longed to say more, but what else was there to say?

“Is there any way I can convince you to stay away from him?”

You were already looking at the door, wondering if you could remember the route back to the smashed control room alone. The Doctor walked towards you, hands awkwardly behind her back, and you felt a pang of longing for what could have been if she was a little more honest, a little more open.

Her voice was desperate, soft, and it made your heart ache for the happier times you’d spent together. Before the pain which surged back and forth between you, the harsh words and the abandonment. You’d hurt each other irreparably. You couldn’t be happy with her and the fam. They would never be enough.

Despite everything, though, you didn’t want to hate her.

“I’ll always remember the adventures we had together,” you promised her.

So much had gone unsaid earlier, in your anger at her for dropping by unannounced and whisking you away like she still had a guarantee you wanted to travel with her. Facing the realisation that this really might be it, you wanted to hug her.

It was strange, wanting to leave her, and yet being so devasted about it.

“What is he, to you?”

She looked afraid to ask it, and you were sure she wouldn’t like your answer. With a sigh, you saw no sense in lying to her.

“I think I love him.”

The drop of her face was enough to confirm it, that there was no getting out of this without hurting someone.

“No mind control,” you promised.

“You can still stay. He’s dangerous.”

Her words were half-hearted. She knew your choice. You shook your head, and she finally left her comfortable spot, rounding the physical barrier of the console so there was only a few feet separating you.

“I know.”

For the first time since you’d known her, she hugged you, awkward and all misplaced limbs. You accepted it, hugging her tightly back. Her face was hidden from you, and you held her as long as she’d let you, hoping you were imagining the ragged breaths which caught in her throat.

“Will he look after you?”

“I think so.”

She nodded against your shoulder, letting you go.

“Thank you, for everything.”

You meant it. For the adventures, for the chance to get more from life than Earth could give you, for the friendships you’d shared with the fam, and for the chance to meet him.

Perhaps she already regretted that last gift.

“Let’s get going, then!”

Her chipper tone was mismatched for the somber mood as you stroked the console goodbye one last time, mumbling your gratitude to the impossible, ancient ship which had first shown you the beauty and terror of this universe. The Doctor strode out the door like this was any other adventure, and you almost expect to be met with the surface of an unknown planet, just one more time.

She led you through the corridors in silence, and you still shivered at the Cybermen as you passed them, recalling the horror concealed inside these metal soldiers.

With a quick instruction to wait for her, The Doctor darted off to check a rack of servers. This was it. Her easy out. She knew you wouldn’t wait.

You kept walking, unexpectedly recognising where you were. He wouldn’t be concealing anything in the corner of a cramped storage room. He would be at the heart of the ship. Waiting for you.

You were right. The doors to the control room hissed open as you approached, revealing him stood in the center of the room. He’d cleaned up, put his jacket back on, brushed his disheveled hair back and lost that snarling, wild-animal demeanor he had been overcome by outside the conversion room, and while he’d spoken to the Doctor. Like the best of his disguises, composure covered his true feelings as he waited for the pair of you, distain on his face and his hands casually strewn in a trouser and jacket pocket.

When he saw you approach alone his performatively curled lip dropped, face slackening as he rushed towards you, open concern on his face. When you didn’t reach out to embrace him, and he stopped, deflated a few feet from you. He tried to lighten the mood, his features picking up into an unnatural smile.

“I told you I’d get you out!”

“You didn’t.” You told him flatly.

He reached for you, and you crossed your arms over yourself, resisting his offer of affection. You wouldn’t go back to him without an apology, if you could help it.

“You left me there.”

“You’re here, you’re…”

He trailed off at the Doctor’s appearance, barging flustered into the room, muttering that she’d ‘told you to wait’. At her entrance the Master wrapped one arm around your waist, pulling you tightly to him. You tried to get away, and he wouldn’t release you.

This was a show, meant only to remind the Doctor her friend had chosen him over her, and you hated it. You didn’t want to help him hurt her.

“Don’t touch me.”

He ignored your snarl. You kicked at his foot, and he broke his grip, allowing you to retreat from the two Timelords.

“Lover’s tiff,” he smiled apologetically to The Doctor, reaching out his hand for yours.

When you retreated further away from him again, he froze. He offered his palms up apologetically, and you noticed they were still littered with cuts, some particularly brutal looking. You suspected the smashed-up control room around you could answer for that. He caught you staring, open horror on your face, and shoved them in his trouser pockets.

“It’s okay,” The Doctor’s Yorkshire lilt tried to settle you, and she approached you from the other side like a scared animal. You recoiled from her too, and the Master stepped in front of you.

“You brought her here!” He scoffed to the other Time Lord. “Don’t pretend you’re any better than me!”

The Doctor was acting like the hero, as usual, treating The Master like a teacher calming a mid-meltdown child. Her soft voice and outstretched palms didn’t seem quite so sincere, on the receiving end. You could understand The Master’s anger, as her gentle voice tried to placate him.

“I brought you what you want, we can trade.”

Suddenly, pieces clicked together.

“You said you didn’t know the Master was here,” you frowned.

“Did I?”

You turned on her.

“This was on purpose. You brought me here on purpose?”

From the drop of her jaw, you could read that you were right. At least a little bit. You felt your throat tighten with tears. The Master growled.

“How dare you drag her into this!”

“What? Into your plan?” You caught yourself getting hysterical, but you didn’t care. The Timelords glanced at each other, herding you back towards the glass projection which covered the entire back wall.

“You were supposed to be on Earth! If you had stayed, like I told you –”

Under your glare, he fell silent.

The Doctor, ever playing at being a peacekeeper, tried to step closer to you, only to be matched by the Master. You had nowhere left to go, backed against the dark glass wall of the bunker as they looked between you and each other.

“Doctor, did you… know the Master was here.”

“Yes.”

She had the decency to sound remorseful. You thought back on when you first landed, how quickly you’d lost her, been swept up in the horde of people shepherded towards the conversion chamber. You remembered how you’d feared for your life, the heartbreak on the Master’s face as he’d almost watched you experience a fate worse than death.

How she’d suddenly decided she should have a heart-to-heart with you, the second the Master left you on earth.

“You used me.”

They played this game, and you were a pawn in it. She’d brought you were, let you follow her out of the TARDIS, to play with the Master. Just so she could be the savior, and he could play at matching all of her light with his dark.

“Give me the codes, and this can all end,” she spoke to the Master, refusing to relinquish any of her control as the two of them trapped you. “I’ll let you leave. Everyone downstairs lives. The Cybers get destroyed.”

“You’re monsters,” you whispered.

The two Timelords glanced at each other, not meeting your eye.

“Darling… ” The Master began. You cut him off.

“Don’t.”

“The Cyberium in my head, it was too much. I couldn’t handle it, and if I did this, I could find a way to get it out. I needed their technology, their trust. I’m sorry, love.”

You winced at the pet name. He’d called you that in bed, once, and you’d felt like the happiest person in the universe. You couldn’t even look him in the eye.

“I hope it was worth it.”

Even The Doctor wasn’t speaking. You glanced at her, trying to read anything but shock on from her expression. Following your eyeline, the Master seemed to jolt at the recollection she was even there. Both of you startled as he shoved a hand into the inside of his waistcoat, rummaging.

He threw a small silver communicator underhand to The Doctor, and she barely caught it, inspecting it with unguarded horror.

“Take this. You can dismantle the conversion facility with it, get the people downstairs out.”

She was already at the computer console, sneaking wary glances at the pair of you as her hands flew across the keys, computers still a little scorched from The Master’s earlier go at them. With the second Time Lord out of the picture, The Master turned to you.

“I was destroying this place. For what they did to you.”

“Why did you leave me?” you demanded, “down there?”

“I had to be here, to stop the gas, to freeze the hivemind. I’d already destroyed the Cyberium, I couldn’t stop it. I wasn’t in control.”

You wanted to believe him so badly, the pain in his eyes seemed so real, and he held eye contact with you like you’d never seen before.

“She was never meant to bring you were. I swear, I’ll kill every one of them myself if I have to.”

“Those people down there, they’re just like me. You were going to kill them?”

“They’re not you–”

“Believe it or not Master, I’m human. I’m the same as them. I know you hate it, but I’m the same as them.”

“You’re not–”

“I am! And you were willing to let them die.”

The tremble of his hand as he reached for your cheek gave away his fear, and you recoiled, wincing as your head collided with the hard glossy wall. The Master flinched too, dropping his hand.

“Think how many would have died if the Cyberium had taken over my mind. Taken my ship. Had you.”

The timeline was confusing. Upsetting. Too much to think about. You frowned as you tried to think about it.

“That’s why you dropped me home.”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t let you see me losing control like that. I thought I could come back when it was all over, if I could get my mind back.”

The Doctor was working noisily, and an alarm started going off as she hacked further and further into the base’s system. Outside, you heard a ringing as a Cyberman crumpled to the ground.

“We need to leave.”

As angry as you were, you nodded quickly, letting him guide you out of the room. As you passed, the Doctor called your name.

“It was the only way, I’m sorry. I had to show him what he was doing…”

Her face was truly devastated, for the brief glimpse of it you caught, but you couldn’t forgive her. The Master’s arm found your waist, guiding you away from her quickly, and you let him.

Betrayal had rooted deep in your gut, making you want to nauseous as you looked at her face. All your history together, and she had knowingly dumped you in the middle of a crowd to be converted into Cybermen. Just to hurt The Master.

You saw those blank creatures, their masks hiding the faces of real people, who had loved and been loved, had dreams and wants and needs.

She’d told you it was the worst thing she could imagine. That she’d lost friends to that cruel death and would never risk losing another. At the time your heart had ached for her, for the suffering she had been through, her only crime trying to do the right thing. Apparently she didn’t consider you a friend anymore.

The screeching of collapsing metal ricocheted off the bare corridors, and the Master moved the two of you faster.

You screamed as a Cyberman moved beside you, an electrical twitch before it collapsed to the ground in a pile of loose metal, and the Master’s arm tightened around your waist even more protectively.

You couldn’t move. Your feet were stuck to the ground as you saw the unnatural way the creature fell, the skeleton inside so decomposed the usual flexibility limits of a human body were far exceeded.

Almost pulling you over with his momentum, the Master stopped beside you. He followed your stare towards the horrific sight beside you, and made a noise of discontent in the back of his throat. With a gentle hand he guided your head away until you couldn’t see the creature anymore and the vision was replaced with his face.

“I’m sorry.”

Against your better judgement, and despite everything you’d been through, you hugged him. In the corridor as the base started to crumple around you, you couldn’t help unravelling at his touch, his head against yours as he pulled you tightly against him, feeling tears welling up in your eyes as you pressed your face to his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

“No.”

Deep red lights illuminated the corridors around you, and you felt his sharp inhale of fear.

“Talk later. We need to run. Now.”

The Master struggled to navigate the corridors, swearing to himself each time he reached a junction, and dragging you in the right direction after a moment of panicked, hitting-his-own-head thought. It brought you some small measure of comfort, in the midst of this horrifying day, that he couldn’t have been here long.

Lungs aching, you fought to keep up with him. Even the Master was stumbling, unused to running for this length of time, and he shot you looks of concern as your human body needed to wheeze for breath. The collapsed bodies of Cybermen and the screaming of alarms were enough to keep you moving as the very structure itself rumbled. The burning pain in your muscles could wait.

You noticed the Master cursing up at the ceiling level above, where the Doctor still resided, muttering. What was she doing?

Finally you let yourself slow at the sight of his ridiculous outback shack. It was completely out of place and blocking a walkway. That stupid ship. You loved it.

It was facing the wrong way, and you had to use the back porch steps to clamber up onto the structure, faltering as the comfort of being near the machine finally let your adrenaline crash. He half-dragged you to keep up as you both rounded the veranda, throwing the doors open and firmly pulling you inside. He rushed to the console as the rumbling of breaking concrete and collapsing earth followed you into the ship, and you didn’t have the heart to care about the destruction happening outside.

The Doctor could handle the people who were trapped. She always did, their savior no matter the cost.

The moment the TARDIS’ doors closed, you fell into that old rickety sofa, and sobbed.

The Master piloted in silence, and once the murmur of the ship engines had stopped, he paced towards you awkwardly. He crouched to sit himself on the low table opposite your curled form, clasped his hands, and bowed his head. He let you cry yourself out, staring out as the windows at the vortex – empty and filled with flashes of colour all at the same time.

After a while he left, coming back with water and tissues, and you took them gratefully.

A few sips of water left you with enough voice to speak, albeit tremblingly, as he watched you worriedly.

“Do you think the bunker collapsed? After we left?”

“Probably. I think she got them out though. The computers could open the doors to the surface.”

“Good,” you said firmly.

“Good that they got out, or that the building collapsed?”

“Both.”

He chuckled, pulling your clenched hand away from your face. He pressed a kiss to your knuckles, keeping them held to his lips. His hands were warm against your fingers as he held them, leant forwards with his elbows resting on his knees, lips surprisingly soft.

You knew he could check the fate of the bunker collapse. Future archeologists would have found it, if no one at the time recorded its outcome. But you didn’t particularly care for the truth. This ending was nicer.

Even after you fidgeted, trying to get more comfortable with him holding your hand away from you, he didn’t let go. You noticed the marring on his hands, already scabbing a little, and turned onto your side to touch the wounds.

“Do these hurt?”

“A little. They’ll heal up with some sleep, though.”

You laughed hollowly. Of course, a nap could heal wounds which you would need stitches for. He smiled sadly against your lips.

“Did you get hurt, at all? I was worried about the gas.”

“I’m a bit bruised, but I’ll be fine.”

The fall and the running made your muscles ache, but the main hurt wasn’t physical.

She’d betrayed you.

“She asked me to leave with her.”

He bowed his head, lips moving against your knuckles as he spoke.

“You said no?”

“Duh.”

He smiled.

“Thank you.”

You shrugged, not totally forgiving of him yet either. The energy had left you to fight. All you wanted was a bit of peace, convalescence before this inevitable game started again. The reckless travel, fighting over how much damage to cause, and the sex he didn’t care about.

How much longer could the two of you keep this up?

You wondered if you’d ever regret the decision to stay with him. When death stared you in the face again? The next time he forgot how human you were? At the pull of the TCE’s trigger, as he killed someone without a second thought?

Maybe then the Doctor’s different-but-equally-grey morals might seem more appealing.

Perhaps if you’d begged her to let you rejoin the ‘fam’, the Doctor might not have used you as a bargaining chip.

“When I saw you through that window… I realised you mean more to me. More than I’d ever expected.”

The admission would have made you swoon, on another day, but you just threw your head back against the wicker armrest, emotionally exhausted.

“I mean it.”

He was watching you for a reaction, and you rolled your head to face him.

His eyebrows drew together in a frown.

“You must be shattered, love.”

You could only nod, and he dropped his forehead to the hand he was clutching, a silent apology.

“What can I do to help? I need you to tell me. I’ve been alone too long, and I’m not good at this stuff –”

His breath was hot against the skin of your hand. It made you shiver.

“I just want a shower. And to sleep. We can talk in the morning I just… I’ve had a long day.”

“Of course.”

It wasn’t a surprise to you, his capacity for tenderness, but you hadn’t seen it this exposed, this prolonged, before. He seemed to move a little easier than he had in the last few weeks, his mind not drifting so far from where it ought to be tethered.

You wondered if he’d ever tell you how badly the Cyberium had affected him.

“Sorry.”

Maybe he knew what your apology was for, maybe he didn’t. Nonetheless he shook his head, helping you up, his hands held out in a silent offer for support walking should you need it. You took your own steps, legs trembling a little from overexertion as you walked alongside him towards the corridor which housed both of your rooms.

“Wait a second,” he murmured, leaving you so he could check a screen, humming at whatever he saw.

Like he’d never left, he was back, arm held out for you to take. You laid a hand across his elbow lightly, not to lean on him, but to be near him.

“What was that?”

“Just checking you’re okay.”

At your puzzled look, he continued, tone dismissive.

“The TARDIS checks your vital signs. That green gas was nasty, unknown, I just wanted to check it didn’t need any immediate attention. Seems like it just knocked you out. How are your muscles feeling?”

“Exhausted, obviously. I think I’ll ache tomorrow.”

He hummed in agreement as you reached your door, surprising you when he opened it for you and followed you inside.

“High lactic acid. Blood-oxygen’s a touch lower than I’d like, too.”

You frowned.

“Do you really measure all that stuff on me?”

“Is it creepy? I hoped it wasn’t. I just… it’s not exactly intrusive, better than a checkup or whatever. It lets me know you’re not about to drop down dead.”

He moved around your room as he spoke, collecting pajamas and your hairbrush, various other bits and bobs you might need in an overnight bag. When he caught you watching him, confused, he walked back to the door. Your possessions were bundled against his chest, secured by one of his hands.

“Come use my bath. There’s some soaks that should help you recover.”

The shake in your legs wasn’t just from the running as you crossed the corridor, surprised by the realisation his door appeared to be unlocked. It was barely six feet from the entrance to your room, but you’d never seen this door open.

You had assumed his room was always locked. When he was in there, absent from the rest of the ship, it meant he wanted to be left strictly alone. Going inside, even with his hand guiding you, felt forbidden.

He’d always fucked you in your room. It was easier for him that way. It allowed him to leave the second he was done, if he wanted to. Even when the pair of you got more comfortable, laying together, spending more time intertwined just reading or watching movies, his space was off limits.

He didn’t miss the way you halted at the threshold, looking around at the curiously designed space. The furniture didn’t match the room, you noticed. Colourless walls were contrasted with a regal four-poster, antique bookshelves stretched high towards an iridescent crystalline ceiling, futuristic inlaid lights illuminated the messiness of a hand-carved oak desk.

Old and new clashed, everything regal and big, but barely filling the oversized space.

“It’s a bit weird,” he conceded, “you can stick to your room if you like.”

“No, no its fine. Just not what I expected.”

He set your things on the bed, and you picked over the sweats he’d brought, clutching them to your chest.

“What did you expect?” he grinned.

“I don’t know. Versailles? Or some kind of BDSM torture chamber?”

With a laugh he appraised the room, biting his lip in amusement.

“Are you disappointed?”

You found yourself grinning too, as he shucked off his coat and lay it over the desk chair.

“A little.”

The newly formed tension between you had felt like a lead weight, and you only realised when it was broken. You bounced on your heels as much as your injured muscles allowed, and let him lead you to the bathroom.

“Don’t change yet, I’ll just grab some shower stuff!”

More classic, the bathroom was all marble, the space dominated by an oversized claw-foot tub. For a moment you realised the pair of you could fit in there comfortably, before brushing the thought away. Exhaustion was making you hazy already. You’d just fall asleep.

Plus, you remembered, you were mad at him.

Ignoring his warning you started to strip off, left in just your underwear by the time he appeared in the doorway with an ‘oh!’

“Its fine. Nothing you haven’t seen before,” you pointed out.

He still looked sheepish.

“Rub this on anywhere that hurts before you get in the water, should stop any inflammation and you’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Help?”

You were too tired to navigate the pain mapped all across your body alone, and you didn’t want to be without company. The screams of the child who’d lost a mother, of the people who’d seen that gas descending, the slamming of the door you’d barely rolled under, they’d all find your ears again as ghosts the moment you were without distraction.

Without you stripping off any further, the pair of you managed to apply the chalky substance all over your body, the honey-sweet smell filling the air as his hands cautiously rubbed it across your muscles. You were more slapdash with your own application, and he quietly returned to spots you’d missed, making sure you wouldn’t ache. His attention to your muscles was so tender and careful, you had to keep talking, just to stop yourself choking up.

“I could have used this on the Doctor’s TARDIS!” you had tried to joke.

The other Timelord was far more fond of running, and you’d woken up countless mornings in agony, even as the fun of the day before electrified the atmosphere in her ship.

The Master stayed silent.

On many levels, you felt you understood him a little better now. It had hurt, to be betrayed by her, but you had something in common now.

“Did it hurt to leave her?” he whispered.

The Master’s eyes were on your calf as he kneaded the substance into your skin, but his hands froze at your momentary silence.

“Yeah. It did. Before I realised what she’d done, at least.”

He nodded silently, swallowing. The pair of you froze as you finally put the glass jar down, accepting that this excuse to be together was done. His hands left your skin and he walked to the sink awkwardly, washing his hands in silence.

He didn’t leave, leaning against the counter and watching you.

“Give me a shout if you need me, okay?”

You smiled, suddenly shy, barely recognising the man in front of you.

“Thanks.”

“I’ll be just outside.”

Finally, he left. He closed the door with a click, and instantly you felt like an intruder, left alone in his bathroom. It was tidy, but everywhere were reminders it was his space. Aside from your clothes folded messily on the counter, there was only his things. A matte black range of branded products scattered the room, lined up by his toothbrush, on a built-in shelf of the shower. You wanted to investigate them, smell them. See which of them were responsible for the smell you associated with him.

The tub of hair clay by the sink had the lid slightly ajar, and it made you smile as you corrected it. He must have gotten ready in a rush. It was strange, that he’d even wanted you in here, but you hoped it was some step towards real closeness. There was still so much to say, but that was easy to forget when he was there, caring for you.

You’d only left the Doctor because you could see a future with him – something she couldn’t offer you, surrounded by carelessness and lies and three other companions. The Master could offer you more. You could almost picture your own toothbrush, stood up next to his.

You stripped off your underwear and left it on the countertop, foregoing the tub for the alluring waterfall shower in the corner of the room. It was easily big enough for four people, all natural-cut stone with a simple pair of dials to control it. Beautiful, and completely to the Master’s taste.

Before you had touched anything the TARDIS started the water, a slow trickle turning into a warm sheet of water which made you sigh at the sensation of being underneath it.

“Thanks, dear,” you mimicked how he spoke to the ship, and she flickered the lights in return.

It was heaven, to finally have every remaining atom of that base, that conversion room, those corridors, swept off your skin.

The products you reached for all smelt faintly like him – a matching suite of mildly citrus-scented body wash and hair products. Exhaustion and the smell made you feel dazed as you rubbed the chalky healing substance off your body. The smell of him made you feel somehow guilty as you tried to clean the sweat and grime from your hair and your face. His senses were so attuned, you wondered if it would freak him out. Or whether he’d like it, to have you smelling of him. Like a claim.

If he was still outside the unlocked door the thundering of the water hid any noise he made. You rolled your shoulders and turned the heat up, letting the heaviness of the water rush over you, waiting for this day to make sense.

You had no idea how long you stood there lost in thought. The Master’s voice dragged you back to reality, calling your name worriedly through the door with a rap of his knuckles against the wood.

“Are you okay?”

“All good!”

Calling back, you quickly rinsed your hair before shutting the water off, suddenly driven back to motion by his concern. Back in your early days together he’d often overestimated how much humans could withstand, lamenting the ‘wasted’ hours of sleep you wanted, or the frequency with which you had to eat. He’d gotten better recently. He was aware of how exhaustion affected you, appreciated that you couldn’t walk or run forever. It had amused you when he started carrying food and even occasionally arranging places for you to stay overnight, should your travels require it.

On a fundamental level, he had started caring for you more.

The Master had never gone to this extent, though. Or perhaps you had never needed his care as much. The scans his ship seemed to run on you proved he’d at least been checking your body was okay all this time.

Maybe he’d always just checked your health and opted to let you heal alone, before today.

A deep burgundy towel hung on a heated rail beside the shower and you grabbed it, careful not to slip as you wrapped the material around you. It was oversized, thick and soft, and you couldn’t help the jolt when you felt the warmth of it on your bare skin and remembered it was his.

Even though he’d been inside of you, gotten to know you, you’d never been allowed to know him back. Not really. This felt like a start.

You had to brush the thought aside, drying your hair as best you could without a hairdryer, pulling on pajamas and leaving the wet towel back where you found it for the ship to deal with. It took a moment, and a deep breath, for you to finally emerge from the steam-filled room.

The Master was sat on his bed, reading some book from his collection which was quickly strewn onto his desk as you approached.

“Better?”

“Yeah, thanks. I think I’ll still ache tomorrow.”

He looked a little sheepish.

“Hopefully not. That stuff’s pretty good, usually.”

You stood uncomfortably for a moment, waiting for some cue from him on where to go from here. He turned down the bed, silently pulling the covers aside for you to climb in. Then he looked at you expectantly, as if you were obviously supposed to just clamber into his bed. You were surprised, but all too grateful for the comfort.

“Really?”

He left your question unanswered. You settled beneath the sheets, and The Master watched you as he tried to figure out what to do next.

“Do you want me to…”

He was mid-thought, it seemed, asking you if he should leave his own bedroom. You spoke over him.

“Can you stay with me? Just for tonight. We’ll forget it ever happened tomorrow if you want.”

He faltered, still watching you curiously. You wondered what his plan had been, if not to stay with you.

“Every time I close my eyes, I see those fucking metal claws, the insides of those creatures, I –”

Without a word he stripped off his jacket, boots and waistcoat.

“I just need a shower. Give me five minutes.”

You nodded, wrapping the covers around you and trying to get comfortable. You’d never had ‘sides of the bed’ - he’d never stayed long enough to designate those - but you couldn’t shake the feeling you were in the wrong place.

It was stupid. To be having casual sex with the man, to trust him with your life, and not even feel entitled to be sleeping in his bed.

Something had to change.

The Master was barely gone two minutes, emerging from his shower with a towel slung around his hips. He rummaged through his wardrobe before tugging free a pair of checkered pajama trousers, glancing to check you were still there before silently returning to the bathroom to change. You looked away at his half-nakedness, hoping he hadn’t noticed your breath hitch.

The two of you were a mess.

His awkwardness didn’t escape you as he rounded the bed, shirtless and with wet hair.

He climbed in beside you, careful not to touch you, and you tried to be as unobtrusive as possible, letting him pull the covers over himself and refusing to let your bodies roll together, even as the mattress gave. To your surprise, he lay out to mirror you, on his side behind you.

If not to the distance between your bodies, he could be chest to chest with you.

“Comfy?”

You nodded against the pillow, hands self-consciously tucked away in front of you. You could feel it when he spoke, the whisper of his breath on your neck. His head rested inches behind yours, intimate even as the pair of you didn’t touch.

“You smell nice,” he mumbled, nose close to your freshly-washed hair.

You laughed.

“I smell like you, of course you like it!”

That got a chuckle out of him, and you could feel how his body moved the mattress as he exhaled.

“Are you cold? Your hair’s still wet.”

You shrugged, and he brought his arm around you, resting it on you without pulling you in. He made a noise of contentment as you shuffled closer into him, letting him hold you more easily.

With a gulp, you hoped his closeness to you would stop him from recoiling at your question.

“Before you dropped me off… when I fell asleep…”

“I’m sorry.”

Oh.

“So, you did do it.”

“You wouldn’t leave otherwise. It is not safe for humans around Cybermen,” he trailed off.

The question you wanted answered was obvious, hanging in the air, making you tense.

“Its not okay, to mess with people’s heads like that,” you chided him gently, with no anger in your tone, nothing to make him explode at you like he had before.

“I… yeah. I know.”

You frowned, even as you knew he couldn’t see you.

“The Cyberium… it made me not trust myself. It was relentless, talking to me. Muddling my thoughts with the AI…”

“You were scared.”

“I was furious. It made me volatile.”

His face buried into your neck. As though this was the most natural thing in the world, you found yourself trusting his touch. You brought a hand up to stroke his hair as he mumbled against your skin.

“I was scared. It threatened to hurt you if I didn’t do what it wanted. I didn’t sleep for a month, couldn’t let my guard down, knowing it might use my body to hurt you. It was trying to get to me.”

You found his arm where it was strewn across your side and covered it with your own arm, squeezed his hand in comfort.

“You should have told me.”

“How could I?”

Without a response you fell silent, thumb tracing the hairs on the back of his hand.

“I hope you’ll forgive me, someday. You shouldn’t have been there. I promise.”

He blamed the Doctor, beyond all anger, he was just upset with her. You could never hope to understand the length and breadth of their tumultuous relationship. It would take a human lifetime to comprehend the bond between them – two near-gods who had been stuck in a game of cat and mouse for their whole lives.

“She used me.”

“I wish she hadn’t.”

Without seeing each other’s faces, it was easier to talk.

“Would you have stopped it, if I hadn’t been there?”

“Eventually. I wanted to destroy the base properly. I wanted a plan. I hate the Cyberium for what it did to me. It should have been power, knowledge, and instead it tried to steal what I knew, take my body for its own. The things it showed me… how it threatened me… I couldn’t let it take what’s mine.”

“The TARDIS…” you realised.

“And you.”

You nodded abruptly at his words.

One thought wouldn’t leave your mind: those people around you, he would have let them die.

Collaterally to you, he’d saved them.

And maybe that could be a start.

“Is the Cyberium totally gone now?”

“Yep! Transferred it to the supercomputer on the base, and then destroyed the machinery. Tricky to hide my plan from the AI, but I managed it.”

You couldn’t help smirking at his brag.

“And how do you feel?”

“Glad to have my mind to myself again,” his tone flattened.

It was hard to believe everything fell together, just like that. It still felt so unfinished, so… unhandled. In the minutes you were alone the feelings of betrayal, the sheer enormity of your ordeal, had felt so unmanageable. Now, you felt ready to heal.

Beneath his hand, your stomach gurgled loudly, and you cringed at the noise.

As you were about to apologise, the Master spoke.

“Wait, did you eat today?”

You frankly had no idea how long today had even been. You shook your head with a confused frown, realising that now the adrenaline had left your system, you were damn hungry.

He clambered out of bed, and you pulled the duvet aside to follow him, your muscles protesting at even the idea of walking to the kitchen.

“No, stay there, you need to rest. I’ll be quick.”

True to his word, a plate of food was dumped on your lap in minutes. Some of it not quite fit for human consumption, but most of it your favourites.

He clambered back into bed beside you. He used his body to prop you up comfortably. He picked off what you didn’t want, chatting away about nothing in particular, and something scarily like peace settled over you. That twinge of panic, the fear his mood would flip on a dime, ebbed further away every time he made sure the blankets were covering your feet. With every second he sat beside you, sneaking bites of your food and laughing when you spilt crumbs on his covers, your resolve grew.

You’d stay.

Maybe you imagined it, but he seemed so much happier in his own head. The dark moments when he wasn’t paying attention never appeared, the mental war he was fighting never sneaking outwards to play across his face. Every laugh felt sincere, every word authentic.

When you were done eating the Master cleared the plate, and you took it in turns to brush your teeth. He went first, and when you took his place in the bathroom you saw a brand-new toothbrush sitting innocently beside his at the sink.

The sight made you feel dizzy, even minutes later when you re-emerged into his darkened bedroom, taking your place once more in the bed. The image of those two toothbrushes side by side was burned into your mind. He pulled you to his shirtless body wordlessly, no hesitations this time, whispering a goodnight as the room fell into pitch-blackness.

You needed to rest.

Each time you closed your eyes, you tensed up. No matter the comfort, The Master had gone still beside you, but you were certain he was still awake.

“Where are we?”

“Somewhere near the Alzarium Galaxy, I believe.”

“How far–”

“Half a universe away, I promise.”

You closed your eyes again, feeling him breathe behind you as you tried to push the image of that collapsed Cyberman from your mind, the screams, that crying, motherless child. You’d seen horrors before, but rarely as the victim of them. Never so close.

Suppressing tears, you opened your eyes, staring into the darkness of the room.

“I can’t sleep.”

He hummed sympathy, pulling you tighter to him and brushing his nose against your neck. You sighed into him, trying to close your eyes again, unable to keep your mind from straying.

“Help me?”

You could talk more tomorrow, when you’d rested and had some distance from everything. But as you fell asleep, dreamless as the Master’s hands cupped your temples, you knew you were home.

[colderthancoldest]

Until The End

(Read on Ao3 Here)

Pairing: Dhawan!Master x Reader

Word Count: ~3.5k

Summary:  You and the Master have been traveling together for some time now and you begin to worry about the lengths he's willing to go to in order to keep you safe. When push comes to shove and he faces being taken away from you forever, he finally reveals his motives.

Prompt: "I would die for you, without thinking" (Written by Request)

(angst with a happy ending, some fluff, established relationship, love confession)

Warnings: mild violence, mild injuries, weapons mentioned, no major warning apply

---

Historically speaking, there's never been a situation the two of you can't get out of.

You and the Master have been through all sorts of death-defying adventures together. No matter where you go or what you do, no matter who attempts to stop you or stands in your way, you always look out for each other. The two of you are a powerful force that anyone with an ounce of self-preservation knows not to reckon with.

The Master is quick, and clever, with a sharp sense for danger and the knowhow to escape it. To balance, you're more thoughtful- you can see the details he may overlook and your input can make all the difference in the success of an endeavour.

He's protective of you and quick to defend you from the horrors of this dark universe and, in return, you're patient with him and clever enough to help think up an escape before things take a turn for the worse. No matter the odds or the situation, the two of you are always able to make it out safely and return to the whim of his Tardis.

You just wish he would be a little more careful.

Ever since the two of you began traveling together, you've noticed how he always puts himself between you and everyone else at the first sign of danger.

When push comes to shove- on the off chance someone gets the jump on the pair of you (usually with a plan to get retribution on the Master for something he did long ago)- the Master's first instinct is to pull you out of harm's reach.

If someone throws a punch in your direction, he quickly interferes with no regard for himself. When someone draws a weapon, he thinks nothing of it before shielding your body with his own.

He tells you it's no bother to him. Nothing even worth acknowledging. He assured you can handle it.

He says that Time Lords are far more durable than humans and he has a higher tolerance for pain anyways.

He brushes off your concern and explains- as if it's fact- that you're more fragile than he is. It simply makes sense that if anyone has to take a hit, it should be him instead of you.

You wish he would just admit the real reason: that he doesn't want to see you hurt over his mistakes.

You know it hurts him to see you scared or in pain. From the way he acts, the foregone conclusion is that the physical pain he endures is far less than the strain it would take on his hearts to see you injured.

-

The first time you were ever harmed was early on in your travels together. A small group of bounty hunters- who were in way over their heads- had the 'bright' idea to capture you to use as bait. Thereafter, they could lure the Master into a trap, contain him, and cash him in for the high reward on his head set by the Shadow Proclamation.

Attempting to go after one of the most dangerous people who ever lived was the bounty hunters' first mistake- but hurting you was their last.

They snatched you from the edge of the busy town square you and the Master were visiting, and tied you up at the end of a narrow alley. Bait set and ambush in place, they hinted to the Master where to find his friend who had supposedly wandered away.

As the Master approached from the brighter end of the thin strip of crumbling pavement, you yelled a muffled warning from the other end. His eyes flashed in fear at the sight of you.

"Are you okay?" he demands firmly.

You're quite shaken up, and more than a little scared, but you attempt to give a reassuring nod.

The bounty hunters block the Master's way before he can reach you. They quickly box him in, but he barely acknowledges them.

They don't bother offering a deal. They know that someone of the Master's infamy and reputation would never go quietly.

The Master ignores the various weapons glinting in their hands.

"Did they hurt you?" he asks in a burning cold expression. His eyes are set in a deep rage and he's breathing heavily. He's already made up his mind, but he looks to you for something. Maybe justification- or maybe just a green light.

You can still feel the bruises of strong hands on your upper arms from where they dragged you about. Your wrists are scratched up from the rope.

It's nothing really. And maybe the way they shoved you to the ground had scratched up your palms and the hard pavement bruised your knees, but it was nothing that wouldn't heal. Still... you can't bring yourself to lie to him. You look away in shame.

His expression hardens into a firm stare. He looks to you through the shadows and you catch the light burn in his dark eyes as he reaches for his pocket.

"Close your eyes," he tells you.

His tone is firm, but there's a reassuring promise in his tone. He doesn't want you to be scared. He wants you to close your eyes, like a scary scene in a horror film, and in a minute, he can ensure it will be over.

If you don't see it, the images can't haunt you. He knows this, and it's why he suggests you don't watch the scene that's about to unfold.

So you close your eyes.

The Master pulls a knife and tears through your captures like they're nothing.

You hear them shout. You hear them scream. You hear them go silent.

You hear the sound of the Master's shoes crossing the stone that you know must be painted in blood to reach you.

"Keep them closed," he says as he cuts the ropes away from their hold on you.

You can feel his fury fade into deep concern as he examines you. He takes your hands carefully, and turns you away from the mess.

You still have fearful tears in your eyes until they run down your face in relief at his touch. Your skin is bruised and your muscles are strained from where your captors had pinned your arm behind your back as they yanked you about.

But it's alright. You're perfectly safe now.

The Master carefully leads you away- both your hands in both of his- through the mess and back to his ship.

Only once you're away from the mess does he tell you to open your eyes.

He promises, with deep sincerity, that he'll never let something like this happen again.

-

You can see that same fear in his eyes every time there's danger.

The fear that anyone would dare hurt you, and/or scare you, just to get to him.

He always promises you'll be safe traveling with him- and he always delivers. At any cost.

-

"Why do you always do this?" you ask with a heavy heart as you bandage up the Master's arm after a different escape from a batch of intergalactic law-enforcers.

In the latest fight, he had gotten shoved into a shattered pane of glass during the tussle, whose shards had left gashes down his forearm. He loves a clever challenge, but instead of thinking his way out- he threw himself in head first the second a weapon was pointed in your direction. You wonder why he acts so carelessly, without any concern for his own well being.

You suspect you might already know the answer, but you wish he would tell you himself.

"Those Shadow Proclamation goons had it coming," he grumbles in return.

You both know that's not the kind of answer you were looking for.

You don't get injured anymore, but he does. You don't like to see him hurt either.

"You didn't have to take on that armed guard with your bare hands," you reason.

"He pointed a blaster at you. I couldn't have him firing at us while we made our escape," the Master says flatly.

You finish fitting the bandage into place and then hug him with a sigh.

You know he would have never done that if he has been by himself. He would love laughing madly as he escaped while being fired at. However, when you're there, it's suddenly not a risk worth taking.

You wish he would admit why he does it, but he's not good with the emotional aspect of things. He prefers to show his affections rather than of saying them. You decide not to press.

"I know," you smile sadly, "I just worry."

He pulls his good arm around you.

"You have nothing to worry about. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you," he promises wholeheartedly.

"I know," you smile. "It's you I worry about."

The Master does his best to brush off the heavy feeling and comfort you warmly instead.

"Hundreds of years of time and space? I can handle myself. They don't give out the title of 'Master' to just anyone you know."

His small joke makes you chuckle.

"Right. Of course. My mistake." you smile. "No need to worry."

-

Still, you do worry.

His self-sacrificing instinct appears to know no bounds.

He's always putting himself in danger for you. He always takes the hit for you.

For someone so elegant and clever, he'll throw himself head first into things he would never bother with if he was on his own.

The worst of it comes when the authorities finally catch up.

-

They've been onto him for ages now, but it's not until he gets the coordinates wrong that it's an issue. The government of some far off star system- one of whose planets the Master is personally responsible for blowing up- sic nearly their entire military on him.

The pair of you don't have any reason to suspect it until it's far too late. All at once, you realize you won't make it back to his Tardis before cuffs are being clamped to your wrists.

"Don't you dare!" is the Master's first response as he scolds the guard for grabbing your arm.

He rams his full body weight into the guard closest to you and glares down anyone who gets within arm's length.

"It's okay," you promise, in a weak attempt to reassure him. Even with you both in cuffs, he's more concerned about your wellbeing than his own.

"You have me. This doesn't concern anyone else!" the Master hisses.

The fully equipt guards are careful but unrelenting.

"Your partner is just as responsible. Aiding a criminal is its own offense. Especially the likes of you," one guard advises.

The Master does not like that one bit.

"You won't lay one finger on my partner. You think devastating one planet was bad? You haven't seen anything yet!" he snaps sharply to the leader of the force.

"Your threats are meaningless," the lead guard replies as he shoves the Master along.

The Master sharply breaks away and runs to you. His wrists are locked together, but it makes no difference as he reaches his arms over your head and pulls you safely to his chest. He refuses to let the guards break the two of you apart and no one attempts to do so.

"You know who I am! You know what I'm capable of!" he growls.

The guards simply stare.

"However," the Master adds more quietly. "Allow me to take on all charges you wish to put to my partner."

He looks to you, your face not far from his, "Let my partner go free, and I'll go quietly."

"You can't do that!" you protest.

The guards consider this.

"You'll face the rest of your existence behind bars- if you're lucky," a guard informs the Master.

The Master doesn't appear to care.

"But someone like me, it's worth my capture- isn't it? Worth dropping a few charges to ensure I go willingly?" the Master negotiates.

You shake your head.

"You can't do that-"

"It's possible," the lead guard slowly agrees after deliberating for a moment.

"Wait- No- No!" you protest. "You can't! I can't let you do that!"

The Master looks to you, with his arms protectively around you.

He smiles, sadly.

"Don't you get it by now?" he chuckles with tears in his eyes. "You're all that matters. You're safety and your happiness are the only things I care about. I would die for you, without thinking- without hesitation, in a single beat of my hearts.

I got you into this mess, and I'll get you out," he promises.

Tears quickly flood your own eyes so fast you nearly choke on them.

"No! Absolutely not!" you protest.

He lets you go and lifts his cuffed arms so he can step away. He then lowers them and takes your hands in his. He locks your fingers tightly together.

"Before you agreed to travel with me, there were very few things I cared about," he confesses.

This suddenly sounds like a goodbye....

"You make all of this worth it. You made me care about living again.

If you're captured with me, the authorities will most likely put you to death for helping me and... I don't want to live in a world without you."

His hands lock onto yours even tighter.

"All this time I've been worried that if you get scared or injured... you'll... leave me."

The Master shakes his head, "It's selfish, but now that I know you... I could never again bear a world without you.

Let me keep my promise. Let me keep you safe. Go see the universe without me." He smiles, sadly yet resigned to his decision, "I'm certain you'll be as amazing as always."

He lets go of your hands and you're too in shock to reply for a moment.

He gives you a reassuring smile. It's falsely optimistic and brighter than it has any right to be.

His dark eyes sparkle in the light and then- all too soon- he turns away.

A guard unlocks your cuffs as another guard leads the Master away.

The Master doesn't protest.

You don't know what to say. You don't know what to do.

He's walking away, most likely to his death or at the very least the rest of his existence alone.

You-

You can't stand for this.

You're scared, and your heart is aching. Suddenly, you're feeling all the things the Master has dedicated his existence to shielding you from.

For someone so smart, there's something he's forgotten to take into account:

You love him too.

You swipe the weapon from the guard walking away from you and swiftly take the blaster from the holster on the hip of the guard escorting the Master away.

Everyone freezes in place as you draw back the hammers with a threatening, simultaneous double-click.

Your hands are shaking- a deadly weapon in each hand- but in a strange way, you know what you're doing.

You've never done something like this before. You've only seen movies and these weapons are more alien than human in design.

You take a warning shot to check.

The bang startles everyone as you fire into the distance.

They work alright.

You point one at each guard remaining guard. The others had begun to retreat at the Master's compliance, but they hurry back at the loud sound.

Your hands are a bit shaky, and now you're now sharply aware of the kickback. Given both the circumstances, as well as your inexperience at such a craft, your aim is undoubtedly terrible. However, you're just crazy enough to give it a try anyway if pressed.

Luckily, the guards aren't eager to test you.

"No one move!" you demand.

The guards slowly put their hands up, unsure how to proceed. No one had been expecting this.

"What are you doing?!" the Master turns to you with fearful eyes.

You shake your head sadly.

"You idiot," you then scold the Master weakly.

"I don't want to live in a world without you either," you promise him.

You attempt to give him a reassuring smile through the tears at the edges of your vision.

"You're what matters to me," you promise with aching honesty.

He swallows nervously, then gives a nod.

He smiles, weakly. His lips and fingers shiver.

He approaches you, slowly, and carefully takes the weapons from your hands.

You're relieved to let them go.

You have what it takes, but you don't want to hurt anyone. You're thankful he understands.

Yet again, he puts himself between you and danger. His locked cuffs force him to hold the weapons awkwardly as he trains his sights on the guards. Still, his hands are much more at home around the blasters than yours.

Neither of you are scared anymore.

You hug him from behind for a moment. It only begins to sink how close you were to never being able to touch him again.

"Close your eyes," he instructs softly over his shoulder.

You nod and duck your head.

-

Soon you're back at his Tardis.

You don't know what went down, but you have a good idea from what you heard. At the very least, you can safely assume that all the guards are dead.

The weapons were loud and you're still shaken, but you do your best not to show it.

Once the Master picks the lock on his cuffs, tosses them aside, and takes the Tardis- and therefore the both of you- to the other side of the universe.

Once you're far away from danger- in both space and time- the Master pulls you into a hug and allows you to stay close for a long time.

He lets you lock your arms tight around him and hide your face in his shoulder. His clothes are surprisingly soft and more importantly- you're safe in his arms.

And he's safe in yours.

You're always safe as long as you're with him. And you swear to yourself that you'll do better to keep him safe in return.

It must have been hours before you finally broke the silence.

"Don't you dare try to die for me again," you tell him.

You might be shaky, but you make sure he understands that this isn't optional.

He chuckles warmly. You want to be angry, but you're thankful that his smile eases the tension after everything that had just happened.

"Your safety is my priority-" he begins.

You quickly shut down that line of thinking.

"Your safety is my priority! Don't you dare do that again!" you beg of him.

He stops trying to brush it off and nods instead. He hugs you tighter in return.

"Alright. I suppose I am the best one for the job. I can't very well protect you if I die," he reasons.

You shake your head with a small laugh and sigh.

"I love you too," you tell him.

You can feel him tense in your grasp.

After a moment, he settles against you.

"Yes..." he agrees quietly, as if he's only now considering the possibility for the very first time.

"And... perhaps, I've grown quite fond of you as well," he says softly.

You chuckle.

He might not know how to say it, but he's certainly proven it time and time again. He's shown it so many times now that even if he can't explain it, his actions speak more than loud enough.

"Thank you. For saving me," the Master adds softly.

You hug him ever so slightly tighter, to reassure him.

"It was the least I could do. I certainly wasn't going to let them take you away and kill you."

He briefly rubs a hand over your upper back.

"Yes. I appreciate that."

You pause.

"I'm not going to leave you, you know," you say as you think back to his earlier words. "Even if I get hurt, even when I'm scared- I've never considered leaving. You look out for me, and I look out for you. Until the end."

You smile constantly.

The Master pauses.

"And what I do," he says slowly, carefully, nervously. "It must scare you.

When I have to get us out of those situations. When I have to do whatever's necessary... to keep us safe....

Doesn't it scare you? Don't you ever consider that you would be safer if you... didn't travel with me?" he asks.

You look up at his distant expression.

"No. Never," you promise. "I'll be here as long as you want me here."

He lets out a relieved breath and smiles.

"I'm... happy to hear it. I quite like your company as well," he smiles.

You return to holding him tight. He's comforting and you're always safe when you're with him.

Whatever dangers the universe has prepared for you, you want to face them with him at your side.

You wouldn't have it any other way.

[yviesfictionforaging]

I just remembered that in a post nightmare sleep deprived haze i wrote a whole ass one shot fanfic and im now too embarrassed to post it

[sunshine-daisys]

Can I get some content, can I PLEASE get some content?

[fxlling13]

Amethyst Haze

Dh!Master x fem!reader

Wc:5.8k

Warnings:rude aunty, awkward family moments, bullying behaviour. Alcohol

Synopsis: the master pays you a surprise visit multiple times <3

A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

"How about a planet entirely made out of amethyst?" Cocky as ever, The Doctor looked at you and Yaz

excitedly. “I say entirely. Obviously there’s some brick, and stone, and cement. So it’s more seventy-perfect amethyst. But you get the picture.” She carried on, correcting herself slightly. It did sound interesting though, and you guys hadn’t tried a new planet in a while. The girl beside you grinned, folding her arms comfortably. 

"Sounds great!" Yaz beamed, glancing at you as you nod in agreement.

"I’ll love it. Purple is my favourite colour." The others looked at you in shock. Surely it was obvious, you had dyed your hair a deep plum colour recently.

"Is it? I wonder if that’s why, oh well. ready?" The doc spoke, pulling down on the lever beside her. Neither of you questioned her half finished statement.

———

As predicted, the planet was extremely beautiful. With soaring towers made from the pretty gem and buildings just the same. Roads of purple brick lined the streets, and even the royal guards donned that colour uniform. How did you know that? Well, apparently, your group were trespassing on an important festivity of the people. They had you locked up the second you were spotted. You hadn’t even been there an hour, only just getting into the city centre. Two guardsmen grabbed you, harshly taking you into the capitol building and down several floors. All three of you were thrown into an absolutely freezing cell, and told you’d be let out once the celebration was over. Once down there, it came as a shock to find you were not the only ones caught out of place. Furthermore, The Doctor looked baffled to find The Master pacing up and down. Now, you and Yaz were watching the timelords arguing. The blonde just couldn't believe that he was there in peace.

"I swear. I have no ill-intent." He sighed, throwing his head back against the wall. The master was across the room from you, leaving a hearty gap. As The Doctor was thinking of a good interrogation strategy, you made eye contact, and you smiled at him genuinely. To your surprise, he returned it. In your many encounters with the renegade timelord, you had honestly never been scared of him. Usually, he just made you laugh, somehow keeping you out of harms way.

"So, if you're not here to steal?" The doctor started, determined to get the truth out.

"Nope." He responded boredly.

"Raise an army?"

"No."

"Take over the Palace?"

"No."

"Kill the royal family?"

"No, Doctor!"

"Then why are you here?"

"To buy a present!" Eyes wide, you all stared at The Master completely shocked. That was unexpected. Smiling to yourself, you pat the empty space next to you. Yaz looked at you in question, but you just shrugged. 

"I dont think he's going to kill us. Relax." As you finished talking, The Master hummed and sat beside you. Opposite, The Doctor was watching him like a hawk. Exchanging a look of amusement, yaz sighed before joining her girlfriend. 

"You're buying someone a gift?" The blonde asked, unconvinced.

"Yep." He nod casually, eyes scanning the area as if searching for something. Your teeth were beginning to chatter quietly.

"Why here? There's whole planet's dedicated to shopping centres and gift giving." Rolling his eyes, The Master just stared at The Doctor blankly. As if her question was dumb.

"Well, the person I'm buying for really likes a certain colour that’s readily available here on Purpuartica." Sweet, he was clearly very considerate. Maybe he kept that part of him to himself. 

"You mean yourself?" Yaz's comment made everyone laugh. Even the man next to you scoffed lightly.

"No. Though I admit, she does have taste." He thought aloud, nodding in approval to no one in particular. As per usually, he was wearing his long tweed, purple coat. With the same colour waistcoat and shirt. More importantly, you noticed.

"Oh, a she?" You teased, hugging your knees tightly. It was getting exceptionally cold in there. Looking at you, he chuckled and gave a short shrug.

"Yes, why?" Grinning, you shivered lightly, trying to block out your environment.

"No reason." The Doctor watched you talking, realisation slowly dawning on her. He was so calm, so collected. Letting herself smile, she folded her arms. Clearly, she wasn’t feeling the cold like you and Yaz were.

"Didn’t take you to settle for anything less than yourself?" Turning to her, The Master sighed bitterly. He should have known she'd figure it out, but there was no need for the insinuated insult.

"She isn’t less than me, and you know that." He shot back, brows raised.

"I know, but think of the age gap!" She mocked his former self, making him roll his eyes. Giving the couple a pointed look, she deflated slightly. Looking out the tiny window, The Doctor frowned as a gust of wind blew in. The walls around the cell frosted over dramatically, and your arms tugged your knees closer to your chest. Giving the air a sonic, The Doctor let out a perturbed noise. 

"This isn't good. I hadn't planned to stay this long. It's only going to get colder." Next to her, yaz shook in her spot, cheeks deepening in colour. Instantly, the doc pulled her coat off and wrapped it around her, fastening it up. Yaz moved closer and allowed her girlfriend to hold her close. You watched them sadly, you had never felt more single. 

"Are they always this sickly?" The Master asked, shuffling towards you. Looking up at him, you nod.

"Yep. I deserve a medal for biggest third wheel." He laughed, resting his head back against the icy wall. Seeing as the doc and yaz were distracted with each other, you decided it wouldn't hurt; making conversation with The Master.

"You know, you reminded me I need to go gift shopping too." You told him, starting to shiver more violently. He looked you over, brows creasing. 

"You do?"

"Well it's nearly Christmas back on earth. Need to finish off my Christmas shopping." It was hard to speak, your lips were going numb. Subtly, The Master inched closer and began to unbutton his jacket.

"You like Christmas?" He asked curiously, getting the last button open. 

"I love it. Though, its pretty lonely." 

"Small family?" You shook your head, fingers loosing all feeling. Even when you rubbed your hands together, it was useless. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around your waist. You were pulled down into The Masters chest and he wrapped his jacket around your form. Instantly, you were greeted with warmth and sank into his hold. Honestly, you didn't care if The Doctor or yaz could see. If she could be warm, you could be as well. 

"No. Just, every year, they continue to ask me why I'm single. Where's my boyfriend. It’s draining and very lonely." You explained, relaxing as the cold thawed out of your veins. Humming, The Master made sure his jacket reached around you properly. 

"Sounds it, love." Blushing, you chose to ignore the pet name. Your eyes grew heavy, the cold taking the energy away from you. The Master saw this, bringing his hand up to run through your hair softly. 

"Sleep. We'll be here a while longer."

———

"Well then. Why her?" The Doctor asked quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up. Shrugging, The Master continued to thread his fingers through your hair.

"I dont know. Why her?" He shot back, motioning to yaz. Grinning, the blonde let out a laugh. Seems they were stuck in the same situation.

"So, what are you going to do?" She was curious, eyeing your sleeping figure. All he did was tug you in more, sighing to himself.

"Well, I have this plan." 

———

Laughter woke you and Yaz a few hours later, your eyes opened slowly. You found The Doctor and The Master cackling not so quietly. Yaz looked at you confused, sitting up.

“Woah, are you two actually getting on?” She asked, cracking her neck slightly.

“Don’t sound too surprised. We grew up together.” Shrugging, The Doctor rubbed her back affectionately.

“That’s really sweet.” You mumbled, staying against The Masters chest. He made no effort to move either of you. It warmed you, more than physically. It felt natural, it felt safe.

“If I’m right, which I usually am, we should be let out soon. Get you both home.” The Doctor told you both as Yazmine handed her coat back. You gazed up at The Master, curious.

“What about you?”

“Well. I have to get this gift.” He smiled down at you, rubbing your side. Noticing your uneasy look, he chuckled and tapped your nose affectionately. “Don’t you worry about me, love.”

———⭐️

About a week later, you were yet again in trouble. You were running like your life depended on it. Because it did. Somehow, The Doctor had landed in a cyberwar space station. Not that you knew exactly who they were fighting, but they were definitely organic, like yourselves. There was a moment in which you’d been spotted, fight or flight kicking in. Now you had been split up and you had been running for what felt like hours. Hearing stomping, you turned your head only to crash into something.

“Woah there.” Relief flooded your veins as you looked up to see The Master. He held your arms and, subsequently, you up. “What are you doing here?” He was baffled to see you, eyes roaming your figure for injuries and such.

“Doctor.” That was all that needed to be said. He sighed, quickly pulling you along the corridor. It seemed he knew the place well, you tilted your head, holding onto his hand easily. “Is this your doing?” You teased, earning a grin from the man.

“It might be.” He started, making you scoff. “But it really was an accident.” The Master took you into what seemed to be a control room, letting you go and messing around with a keypad. A metal door shut behind, a loud click to signal it was locked. Perhaps you should have felt worried, that you were alone with The Master. The man who tried to become The Doctor. The Man that created the “CyberMasters”. Also the same man that kept you out of harms way, who listened to you. No, you felt perfectly content in this situation. You sat yourself on a leather chair that was situated by one of the control panels. “So, the Doctor appears to be stuck two levels from us. And four levels from her blessed Tardis.” He informed you, causing you to sigh in annoyance. That really didn’t surprise you. “Don’t you worry dear. I’ll get her to us, then I’ll get you all away from here.” The Master chuckled, closing his eyes momentarily to ‘contact’ The Doctor. Once he’d done that, he strolled over to you. “So, finished your Christmas shopping?” His casual question caught you off guard, but it was nice to see he remembered.

“Nearly. Just one person left to buy for.” You huffed, thinking about your family back on earth. Noticing your tone, The Master nonchalantly moved you, slipping onto the chair. You found yourself almost in the man’s lap, little space left between you. Instead of complaining, you accepted your fate and leant against him.

“And who is that, you don’t sound particularly happy about it?” He inquired.

“It’s my aunty. We don’t always get on.” You said, wondering if he’d want to know of all your family drama.

“Oh? Why’s that?” It seemed he did. You pursed your lips, not knowing where to begin. There was a lot she had done. Then again, The Master may have just perceived you as dramatic. “That bad?” He commented, seeing as you hadn’t spoken for a moment.

“Yeah, it can be. She’s just really opinionated, and doesn’t like how I dress. Or my job. Or my hair. Or my personality.”

“I don’t think I like your aunt.” He cut in, a small laugh passing your lips. “Have you considered gifting her nothing? It seems that’s exactly what she deserves.”

“I fear that would make Christmas very awkward.” He tut at your response, taking you in fully. Twirling a piece of your hair around his fingers, he spoke again. “I happen to think your hair is very nice.”

“That’s only because it’s purple.” You laughed, not minding the closeness at all. The Master smirked, nodding his head in approval.

“Well of course.” Just then, there was loud banging on the steal door, making you jolt away from the man. Reluctantly, he got up with a grumble, opening the door with the press of a button. “Took you long enough.” He sounded annoyed, though you felt as though it was more about being interrupted. The Doctor came in a hurry with Yaz right behind her. Out of breath, the brunette shook her head.

“She couldn’t follow your instructions. Kept trying to find shortcuts.” Yaz baited her girlfriend out, earning a playful shove.

“Well it felt like he was giving us a longer route!” The Doctor exasperated, arms in the air.

“Why would he do that? To hurt (y/n)?” Yaz worried.

“No!” All three of you said in response to the girls question. She looked around surprised. The Master grunted under his breath, busying himself with finding a way up to the tardis. Smiling, you stood up and looked over his shoulder, watching what he was doing. In the background, you could faintly hear the women still discussing.

“But after everything he’s done?”

“Trust me Yaz, he will not harm her.”

“But how do you-“

“I just know.” You didn’t look back, not minding their conversation at all.

“When is Christmas Day, for you?” The Master, also ignoring the girls, asked you lowly. You thought for a second.

“Just a few days. The Doctor is going to drop me off after we get out of here. Then I’ll have the entire week with my family.” You said with a less than enthusiastic timbre, making the man chortle. It really wasn’t what you were looking forward to, except for seeing your parents of course.

“Would it help if I came alone, I know I could easily fix your problem.” It was a false threat, you knew that. You felt yourself smiling at his suggestion, shaking your head.

“As nice as your company would be, I don’t think hurting my aunt would fix things.” He looked at you, taking in everything you said with a short head bob. “Well then, maybe I’ll just pop in to say hi.” He grinned before turning round. “Right everyone, follow me!” The woman jumped, scurrying to follow you both down a ladder and to the Tardis. The Master helped you down from the ladder, holding your waist and bringing you back to the ground. There was a small blush on your cheeks, unable to meet the man’s eyes. His hand slipped into yours, as he walked along the metallic corridor.

“My tardis!” The Doctor cheered, running to the blue box in a flurry. The Master rolled his eyes, noting that Yaz had gone inside without a second thought. Gazing down at you, he let go of your hand grudgingly.

“Don’t worry, you’ll have a good Christmas. Trust me.” He winked, stirring both confusion and bashfulness inside of you. Giving him a smile, you waved and stepped into The Tardis.

———

The past three days had been tough, to say the least. The first day had been okay. You went to the markets with your parents, getting hot chocolates and wandering the stalls. The second day, the rest of your family arrived, which included your aunt.

“Oh god, what have you done?” Was the very first thing she had said upon seeing you, clearly meaning your hair. Thankfully your mother was there to distract her, but every chance she got, your aunt would make comments. Then, the third day, Christmas Eve, it had been even worse. Your aunt had gotten very drunk at the meal your father had planned. The whole restaurant could hear her yapping on. It was loud and obnoxious spiel, about the worst topics imaginable. Now it was Christmas morning, you were sat in your childhood bedroom, applying your make-up. Part of you felt insecure, even if you originally liked your outfit. An off the shoulder black top, paired with a short, mauve miniskirt and black boots. Looking at yourself in the mirror, you sighed before finishing off with lip stick. In your youth, you’d traditionally open gifts first thing. However your aunt had decided it now had to be done after dinner, for some stupid reason. Either way, you picked up the last of your gifts for the family and brought them downstairs.

“Merry Christmas!” Your mother chimed upon seeing you, handing your uncle a plate of hot food. You smiled, greeting her too. After laying the gifts by the tree, you took a seat on the free arm chair and looked around. Your dad was chatting away with his brother, both eating a hearty fry up. Your mother still in the kitchen, grandparents all sitting at the coffee table.

“Will there be anybody joining you this year, (y/n)?” Your aunt questioned. She had already asked about your relationship status the first day you saw her.

“No.” You gave a short answer.

“Why am I not surprised.” She tut. “Maybe if you weren’t so difficult, then you’d find a suitable husband.” She lectured you, as your mother came in and handed you some breakfast.

“Yeah, I know.”

———

A few hours went by, dinner was still not ready yet and you were already growing tired. You weren’t sure how long you’d last under that woman’s gaze. Her eyes were like fire, burning you with their criticism. She had been ranting about the problems in society for a solid thirty minutes, and you were getting a headache.

“Take (y/n) for example.” She said suddenly, gaining your attention again. “The hair, the clothes and the tattoos, not to mention the jewellery. Her generation has no sense of class. None.” Your aunt peached, but no one really said anything. “Rude too. You never see any of them do anything for us!” A loud knock interrupted her, thankfully. You shot up, reassuring people that you’d see who it was. Even when you entered the hallway, you could hear her gibberish, though it was fading slightly. You really wanted to bang your head against the wall, but the knocking persisted. Pulling open the door, your eyes went wide at what you saw. Stood there, at your door, on Christmas Day, was The Master. His hair was curly, wearing a black shirt, covered by a maroon knitted vest, with a gift bag in hand. Before he could even say a word, you threw your arms around his neck, startling the timelord. He chuckled, bringing you in closer.

“What are you doing here? How did you even find my house?” You asked, pulling back from him with a smile. The Master looked down at you smugly.

“I told you that I’d pop by and say hi, I thought you’d appreciate it.” He really came, you thought as your eyes shone with gratitude. Giggling, you jumped up hugging him once again.

“I’m so happy you’re here.” You mumbled against his shoulder, relaxing when his arms encased you.

“Well, I could sense that you were distressed.” His hand ran along your back bringing you instant comfort. “How is everything going?”

“I don’t know how much more I can take.” You admitted to him, face pressed to his shoulder. The Master tightened his hold on you, letting out a short sigh.

“I’m here now, okay?” He reassured, clearly not liking how down you sounded. For a moment, you could forget about the mess of your extended family. Forget that right behind you, your aunt was probably still waffling on.

“(Y/n)? Who’s this?” Your mother’s voice suddenly brought you back to reality. Reluctantly, you pulled away from The Master and turned to face her. Ever confident, the male gave her a witty smile.

“Ah, I apologise. I’m (y/n)s work colleague, O. I thought I’d just drop off her gift whilst I was around.” He lied smoothly, impressing you. Your mother walked towards you both, smiling warmly at him.

“No problem at all, why don’t you stay for dinner? If you don’t have any other plans of course.” She was quick to ask, mostly for your sake it seemed. Even your mum knew how difficult her sister-in-law was.

“If it’s no trouble?” The Master was a very good actor, feigning his politeness. Shaking her head, your mother responded,

“None at all, come on in. It’s freezing out there.” Ushering him in, you closed the door behind and locked it. The Master looked at you simpering, allowing you to guide him into the living area. Everyone looked up, hearing people re-enter.

“Everyone, this is (y/n)’s work friend, he’s going to be joining us today.” Your mother spoke happily, most of your family nodding along with the news pleasantly. “Dinner will be ready soon, someone get O a drink.” She finished off before disappearing into the kitchen. You looked up at The Master expectantly.

“Oh, what are you drinking?” He questioned, understanding your look.

“Just lemonade, I don’t drink.” You let him know, a little bashful.

“She’s an odd one, isn’t she?” Confused, The Master spun around to find a short, older woman looking up at him. “Everyone needs a tipple at Christmas, don’t you agree?” Your aunt held up her sherry glass as if to prove her point. It didn’t take a genius to realise who the woman was, and The Master gave a chivalrous reaction.

“Oh I’m not a big fan of drinking, bad for the liver you know.” He eyed her, muttering under his breath “and the teeth.” You pressed your lips together having heard him. The Master peered at you, lips twitching slightly. “Just water will be fine, love.” Trying to ignore your slight blush, you got him a glass of cold water and took it into the dining room. Your mother was just finishing setting up cutlery.

“I’ve sat you and your colleague here if that’s alright?” She showed you the two seats, allowing you to put the drink in the right place.

“That’s great, would you like me to get everyone?”

“If you could dear.” Her eyes crinkled at you with appreciation, as she busied herself with putting everyone’s plates down. You returned to the living room, finding your secret alien ‘colleague’ wrapped in conversation with your father. It was a funny sight to see, but somehow, The Master didn’t looked too annoyed. Gathering everyone’s attention, you announced that dinner was ready and everyone soon filed into the dining room. When you went back, you found your mother had spread the food down the centre of the table. In the middle of it all, was the roasted turkey, accompanied by everything you could ever want. Bowls of stuffing and steaming veggies, large jugs of gravy, a tray of pigs in blankets and roast potato’s and carrots. There was also an array of sauces and condiments. You took The Master down the opposite end of the room to where your assigned seats were. He pulled out your chair, helping you sit before sitting himself. Whilst everyone was getting settled, you took the opportunity to talk to him.

“So, anything to say so far?”

“Your house is decorated quite nicely, I must admit.” The Master said, picking up his glass.

“I saw you talking to my dad?” You asked, curious as to what they could have been speaking about.

“Oh I overheard him talking to that man,” he nodded in a certain direction.

“My uncle?”

“Yes him, about the Bermuda Triangle. I had to join the conversation, it’s fascinating to hear what humans think goes on there.” He told you, a small smile appearing on your lips.

“Hm, he is a bit of a conspiracy theorist.” Hearing this seemed to intrigue the man beside you. Finally, your mother took her seat on the other side of you, giving the signal that people could start to plate up their dinner. Your father got to work carving the turkey, serving your grandparents first. You reached over, using the tongs to give yourself a few bits.

“What are those?” Confused, The Master pointed.

“They’re called pigs in blankets. It’s a mini sausage wrapped in streaky bacon. Do you want some?” He bobbed his head in confirmation, watching as you put some on his plate, along with a variety of vegetables too.

“Such a fascinating name.” The master mumbled. Your father had finished his but, placing the carving tools down for someone else to use. To your surprise, The Master was quick to pick them up, carving off some meat and putting it on your plate before his own. Noticing the gravy was in the jugs, you looked around for a moment before excusing yourself. You grabbed a small dip bowl from the kitchen before coming back and putting it to the side of your plate. Seeing how big the jugs were, you frowned a little, carefully pulling one closer to you.

“Do you want me to help?” The Master asked with a grin.

“Please?” You looked at him sheepishly. He immediately did just that, pouring some of the gravy into your little bowl.

“She’s an odd one isn’t she?” Your aunt cackled across the table, causing you both to look at her. Placing the jug down, The Master cocked his head a little.

“Why is that?”

“Well using a bowl like a child, just pour it all over like the rest of us.” She shook her head. The Master spied her plate, seeing it piled high and looking like brown sludge with all the gravy on there.

“I just wanted to dip my food instead.” You tried to explain, but it didn’t matter.

“You don’t have to explain yourself, (y/n). And she doesn’t have to do exactly what you do, either.” The Master said sternly, not looking back at the woman opposite him again. He glanced at you warmly, putting a hand on your knee. He could probably feel how cold you were to the touch. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself, starting to eat your dinner.

“How is everything, O?” Your mother looked over hopefully. The Master offered her a kind look.

“Wonderful, thank you mrs (y/l/n).”

———

Dinner soon finished up, and you helped your mother and nan to clean up. They did shop you off after a few moments however, to which you went back to the living room.

“Ready for gifts?” Your uncle leered, getting all the presents ready.

“I just need to go get one last thing.” You realised, rushing back up to your room, grabbing a bag then heading back down.

“So, O is it?” You heard your aunt speak, stopping just outside the door.

“Yes?” The Master was sat on an arm chair off to the side, right by the fire too.

“You work with (y/n)?” She enquired as your mother was brining in the last of her surprises.

“I do, yes.” He lied, curious as to where this was going.

“Is she as incompetent in work as she is here?” Your aunt looked at him pointedly. It baffled him how she said that with no second thoughts.

“Actually I happen to think she’s exceptionally smart.” The master spoke casually, noticing the look of shock on the older lady’s face. You smiled to yourself outside the door, ready to walk back in.

“So, what are you, her boyfriend?” It seemed that question made everyone grow silent, waiting for his response. Your heart was in your stomach.

“And if I was?” He shot back, clearly unfazed. “I’d be lucky to have a girlfriend like her.” You swallowed hard, cheeks suddenly feeling very warm. The rest of your family began talking again, getting on with whatever it was they were doing. Taking a deep breath, you walked back into the living room trying to seem like you totally hadn’t been listening in. Then you noticed, no seats left. So, you went to sit on the floor by The Masters chair. You really didn’t mind much, plus you’d be warm by the crackling fire. A hand landed on your waist as you went to sit, making you look to your side. The Master guided you onto the chair with him, your legs falling over his lap. No one paid any notice, presents getting passed around the room in a flurry.

“And this one is for you, (y/n)” your father grinned handing you a wrapped box. Taking it, you quickly pulled off the colourful paper, happy to find something you’d been asking for the majority of the year. It was related to a band you enjoyed. Begrudgingly, your aunt thrust a gift into your arms. You forced a smile, opening up the tacky bag and peeking inside.

“Oh wow..” inside, was selection of make up. All different shades of bright eye shadows and lip colours. Ones you wouldn’t dare go anywhere near.

“I thought it could help to make you more appealing.” Your aunt said confidently, whereas you were at a loss for words. The Master tut, taking it off you and putting the bag to the side.

“By making her look like a clown?” He asked, brows furrowed. “Her style suits her perfectly. It’s just not your style.” He continued, shooting daggers at the woman. She huffed in annoyance but chose not to say another word. Your heart warmed at his protectiveness, making you quickly reach down and pick up a small bag.

“For you.” You said, his eyes glazing with bewilderment. The Master took the gift, opening it up carefully. From the bag, he pulled out a snow globe, taking it in for a moment. You really weren’t sure how he’d take the present, perhaps he’d think it was stupid. “I made it myself.” You clarified, trying not to show your anxiety. “I went to this pottery night last week, and I made your tardis in the middle see?” He looked at you with an indescribable look. “It’s where we first met, plus the shack is really cosy. And I made the exterior purple just for you.” Now you were just rambling, filling in the void of silence. The Masters eyes raked over you, considering your form with a tactical eye. Deflating, you looked down at your lap. “You hate it.”

“I love it.” The Master suddenly clarified, tilting your chin up to meet his gaze. His lips curled into a genuine smile, thumb rolling over your cheek soothingly. Leaning in, he left a soft kiss on your head. “I don’t remember the last time someone got me a gift, let alone made me something that held actual meaning.” Relaxing, you beamed up at him, happy that you could in fact, get a positive reaction from him. “Thank you, love.” Again, you blushed, following his movements as he picked up the gift bag he had brought with him. Once he’d pulled out a neatly wrapped gift, he extended the bag to your mother who was stood nearby.

“Oh this is very kind.” She exclaimed, taking out a very extravagant bottle of champagne. Both of your parents were very happy with the gift, all your family ogling the expensive drink.

“This is for you.” The Master said, giving you the wrapped gift. It was only a small box, but intriguing nonetheless. Tearing away the black paper, you found a maroon, velvet box, with a bronze clasp. Slowly, you opened the box and gasped at the sight. Inside, there was a ring, the band made from white gold and lined with tiny purple gems. In the middle, there was an oval amethyst, held in a crescent moon shaped piece of gold. The Master took the ring in one hand, gently holding your hand with the other. He slid the ring onto your index finger, your eyes widening as it automatically adjusted to your size. “Very pretty.” He muttered, making you nod.

“It is.” You agreed, admiring the ring. The Master chuckled, not letting go of your hand.

“I wasn’t referring to the ring, dear.” Your eyes met, a small smirk on his lips. “Do you like it?”

“It’s amazing, I love it. Thank you.” Trying to ignore his casual flirting, your attention fell back to the ring. He chuckled, tugging you closer to his side.

“I told you all I was on that planet for good reasons.” Suddenly remembering that day, your head shot up in a second.

“Me? You were buying the gift for me?”

“You’re wearing it, aren’t you love?” You nod at his question dumbly.

“But why?” You asked perplexed, trying not to get your hopes up too much. The Master hummed, brushing his fingers through your hair.

“Why do you think?” He simply said, not really giving an answer. “I meant what I said, I’d be lucky to have someone like you.” His touches were purposeful. “But I could never-“

“Why not?” You cut him off with a frown. He let out a breath.

“You know who I am, what I’ve done. I’m not worthy of someone like you.” The Master spoke sorrowfully, playing with the ring on your finger. Shaking your head, you replied quickly.

“That isn’t for you to decide.” He raised his brows.

“You treat me so well. You’re protective and dedicated, you found my house and came knowing I needed you.” Taking in your words, The Master shrugged slightly.

“But-“

“But nothing.” You said matter of factly. There was no way he would be winning that argument. “What if I want to be yours?” You mumbled incredulously, casting your eyes down to your lap. Feeling a hand on my cheek, The Master tilted my head back up to meet his gaze. He was smiling.

“You already have me, doll. I thought you knew that?” He grinned, my eyes lighting up in a second. “And if your family want here. I’d prove that to you.” The Master spoke in a hushed voice, your cheeks shining colour instantly. He chuckled, pulling you impossibly closer.

“If you two are done flirting, there’s more gifts to be shared over here!” Your uncle interrupted, making everyone in the room laugh. Even though you were blushing, you rolled your eyes and began paying attention to your surroundings. Everyone was in a joyous mood, even your aunt. Perhaps it was the sherry, but either way you were grateful. Leaning back into The Masters chest, you sighed contently as his arms wrapped around your waist. Surely, it would be a slight shock to The Doctor, but you couldn’t find it in you to care. His lips pressed to your head tenderly.

“Merry Christmas, love.”

[tonicandjins]

frequent flyers | lee donghyuck

CHARACTERS: haechan | lee donghyuck x fem reader

WORD COUNT: 13k

GENRE: angst, fluff, smut (non-linear) | best friends to strangers

AUTHOR'S NOTE: read with caution. this is written in a non-linear form, so you don't know when it's going to hurt ;) this is a dh x reader version of my markhyuck fic from ao3, but with a different ending

frequent flyers is the third installment from 23 moments with donghyuck

Donghyuck looks beautiful like this: skin glowing under the dainty string lines and lined up lanterns hanging from the high ceilings, lips curled up to genuine smile instead of the usual teasing smirk plastered on his mouth, cheeks tainted in berry red—a single manifestation of the glasses of wine he’s had tonight, eyes round and sincere and everything you’ve ever known.

Zhong Chenle’s mellifluous voice echoes in the banquet, singing to the tune of lover as the newly weds take their first dance (third song in) in the middle of the floor, surrounded by couples and lovers swaying. From your peripheral view, you catch a glimpse of Park Jisung sneaking his phone out and recording the whole thing—after Chenle clearly mentioned no one else aside from the newlyweds’ assigned videographer is allowed to film him.

On other days, you’d love to listen to Chenle’s golden voice, and he knows this because from all the years you’ve known him, you’d supported his career and you’d spend many hours sitting in his studio, listening to him record, or sitting somewhere halfway across the world, watching him write his songs. I can listen to him sing all day, you’d say, but as the night jumps deeper into its darkness, you realize how excruciatingly long his 15-minute medley went by.

You look across the room.

Donghyuck looks enthralling like this: beautiful even after all these years, charming like he’s the day he turned 21, grown, earnest, and at ease. It’s agonizing to look at from where you sit across the room—hands wrapped around her waist, eyes closing as he leans in, drunk, drunk, drunk like the night you’d left him, heart void of you.

You begin to count.

At 27, you’re pretty much done with all kinds of romance the world could offer.

Unlike the person sitting next to you, you prefer to listen to Blushing Youth than watch some high-rated romantic comedy film during your 12-hour flight from Heathrow to Incheon, and while you’ve been moving around for most of your life (having earned your nickname as frequent flyer, credits to Jisung), flying is not one of the things you’re fond of. In fact, it’s not in the long list of strengths you brag about in your LinkedIn bio. You reckon it would truly be embarrassing, to say the least, to ask a stranger to distract you from the sound of the aircraft’s engine running at full power as it takes off from the runway, hence you opt to blast Ahn Jiyoung’s voice right in your eardrums.

It’s odd, people would say, for someone who’s supposedly mastered the art of moving from one country to another to be so terrified of flights, but if people want you to be completely honest, nothing sounds more horrifying than the thought of seeing Lee Donghyuck after years of radio silence.

As pathetic as it sounds, your heart still skips a beat—three, sometimes—at the thought of him.

Donghyuck, who used to be your sun, who had you orbiting around his gravitational pull for years, who used to be so close but not enough to have, who—if you think about it now—might have never been the center of your solar system after all, but maybe just a shooting star passing by.

The plane takes off, roughly and loud like you’d expected, and you catch a glimpse of a scene from Love, Rosie from the person sitting beside you and immediately regret going coach instead of flying business like how you would if your flights last more than ten hours. You hate this film; you hate it because Alex is to Rosie, like how Donghyuck is to you.

Alex and Rosie, like you and Donghyuck, are—were—long-time best friends who used to be inseparable until one day they’re not. Rosie misses her chance. Alex stops yearning, hoping, waiting, and finally decides to get on with his life. It’s a story of a bunch of tangled webs—a messy tumbleweed of missed calls and delayed flights, of long nights and short days, of forgotten promises and faded hope.

The film introduces new people, bids goodbye to old chapters, but in the end it’s Alex and Rosie.

And you wish that’s how your story went. You don’t end up kissing him in your very own hotel with an awe-striking view of the horizon right outside the window.

You bury the thought before you start missing him again. You run out of tracks from Blushing Youth’s discography like how you run dry from thinking about what happens next when your plane lands.

Might as well sleep it off.

A sharp, jabbing pain on your left leg wakes you up from your unscheduled sleep. Hissing, you find Donghyuck sitting on top of your legs.

“I swear to God,” you breathe, kicking your best friend’s weight off your limbs. “I will freaking kill you.”

“Dude, what’s wrong with saying fuck? You’re literally twenty,” Donghyuck replies, moving further so his entire body crushes yours, and you have to pretend that his warmth doesn’t make you feel some type of way, hence you push him as hard as you can until he falls onto the carpeted floor of your room.

He falls with a thump. “Screw you,” he mumbles, mouth forming a pout that you’d gladly smack out of his face—except you’d do it with your very own lips. “It’s almost one in the afternoon. Why are you napping?”

“Good question, Donghyuck,” you start, sitting up and rubbing your eyes while looking for the pair of specs that Donghyuck is already shoving towards your direction; you gladly take it. “Unlike you, I had to work in the café until one in the morning. I hate being rostered in the closing shift, but it pays damn well. Plus, I forgot to do my laundry so I had to throw my clothes in before I slept.

“Overworking again, I see,” he muses, sighing as he scoots to sit cross-legged across you on the bed too tiny for two people.

“The last week of the semester always sucks balls,” you answer, tilting your head in attempts to stretch your stiffened neck and get some kind of relief. “Why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be out there doing something stupid with Na Jaemin?”

“There’s a music festival on Friday,” he starts right away. “Jaemin’s wondering if I’d be interested to go, says he could get us some free passes from the guy he’s hooking up with. Apparently, the guy is DJ-ing.”

You blink. “Which one? Lee Jeno? Or Yoon Sanha?” you ask, genuinely curious because Jaemin is Jaemin and he could never be caught exclusively hooking up with one person.

Donghyuck shrugs. “Does it matter? Is it a yes or a no? That’s the question.”

He begins to fiddle with his fingers, playing with the rings on his long, delicate digits, and you recognize it almost instantly. Donghyuck is nervous. You might have an idea why.

“Is this you finally asking me out, Lee Donghyuck?” you half-joke, scratching your head. Donghyuck looks anywhere but your face. A glimpse of his eyes is all you need, because if the eyes are the windows to one’s soul, then Donghyuck’s are wide open, with no curtains and bare from all layers—at least that’s how they are to you. His eyes are wavering, and though he’s mastered the ability to keep his face tough as steel, those orbs could only do so little when it comes to hiding from you.

So, you smile, reaching out and leaning closer, kneeling until you’re face to face with him. “Only kidding, Hyuck,” you say finally, taking it easy because this conversation is not for one who’s hazy from sleep and one who can’t even look at the other in the eyes. “Of course, I’ll come with you. Who else can you bring anyway?”

Donghyuck looks up, rolling his eyes; he’s back. “You’re not really irreplaceable,” he replies smugly. “Don’t think too highly of yourself.”

You poke your tongue out and reach over your night stand to check your phone; at the same time, Donghyuck starts biting his fingernails. You don’t think twice—like blinking, a habit, natural—and reach out to pull his hand away, mumbling about how he should start working on getting rid of this bad habit of his. Donghyuck’s hand is warmer compared to yours, and he lets out a whine, complaining about your freezing hands, but squeezes you hand back anyway.

You are content with this. You hope Donghyuck is, too.

The lingering touches. The stolen kisses. The piercing glances.

While they all seem fleeting and simple, they mean the most to you. You begin to think if Donghyuck feels the same as he pulls you closer until you’re both back lying on his bed, your cheek resting on top of Donghyuck’s warm, cloth-covered chest. You wonder if he means it, when he says you’re not irreplaceable and that maybe you’re a little too comfortable, a little too satisfied with whatever it is that you have.

On a drunken night, Donghyuck may have asked you once. You remember it and think about it so much that sometimes it felt like a dream.

“How long, Y/N,” he had asked, his voice an octave deeper than usual, gaze a shade darker. “How long until you let yourself just lose it? For once, just—just please, let your feelings consume you.”

You didn’t want to—not then, not now—because it’s going to hurt.

It’s going to hurt because it’s Donghyuck.

It’s Donghyuck who feels like home, whose hands are warm enough for your cold ones, your own little sun. Losing him is the extinction of your solar system.

“Y/N,” he had whined when you didn’t reply, shaking you, pleading. “When are you going to want for more? I want you to ask me for more.”

But Donghyuck had passed out before you had the chance to think of an answer—time frame—and you wonder what your answer would have been if Donghyuck stayed awake for a couple more minutes.

“I guess napping at this time of the day doesn’t sound too bad,” Donghyuck murmurs against your hair, kissing it before relaxing. “Set an alarm for me. 3 pm.”

You hope Donghyuck asks you again, not this time, but you hope the question lingers in his mind a little longer.

He falls asleep to the sound of your breathing.

When the person sitting next to you finally wakes up, you could only sigh in relief.

The aircraft has landed a few minutes ago, and your flight seatmate slept so soundly that it took you a couple of minutes to shake her awake.

The 12-hour flight is a pain in the ass, and you wish you mean that figuratively. Waiting was something that you were once good at, and Renjun often told you he wished he had half the patience you had. If you think about it now and reflect whether you’re as patient and as willing to wait as before, you’d changed vastly. Ridiculous, how one could change so much in a lifetime.

Huang Renjun is standing behind a barricade when you finally reach the arrival area after going through immigration. He’s holding a piece of paper that says WELCOME HOME, Y/N! Renjun doesn’t give you the time to cross the boundary because he attacks you in bone-crushing hug the second he’s allowed to. You almost topple over him, your glasses at risk of either falling out of your face and into the cold, hard ground, or being crushed between your nose and Renjun’s shoulder.

Renjun chants your nickname over and over again, swaying both your bodies left and right as though you weighed nothing. “I’m literally about to combust. My chest has been pounding since I arrived here. You have no idea how much I missed you, and you were taking forever to go through immigration.”

“Oh, Huang Renjun,” you sigh, inhaling his scent and returning the hug. “Some things never change. You’re still the sweetest when you miss people. Absence really makes the heart grow fond.”

Renjun pulls away to get a good look on you. “Y/N, you’re all grown up. I can’t believe you resisted not seeing me in person for four years.”

“You’re just as grown up as I am,” you reply. “We Facetime each other every other day. What are you talking about?”

“It’s never the same,” he mumbles and helps you with your luggage despite it only being one small luggage, a small duffel bag, and your small backpack. He starts nagging as soon as he notices how small your baggage is.

“You were away for literally four years and you think packing three old shirts and a pair of jeans will be enough to get you through your entire trip here?” Renjun gasps. “You’re stupid if you think Chenle and Jisung are allowing you to leave after what we’re all here for. They have an entire month planned out the second you agreed to come home.”

“I didn’t bring only three shirts, for your information. And I did bring a few pairs of trousers and a coat, plus my dress for the wedding,” you defend. “And I can’t extend my trip here. I thought we’ve all got that one settled.”

Renjun laughs, as if what you said is some kind of joke, as he leads you towards the exit of the airport. “You know we would 100%, without hesitation, burn your passport if it means we could make you stay longer, don’t you? I hope you don’t underestimate us like that.”

You chuckle at his empty threat, your chest swelling at the thought of your long-time friends being thrilled of your arrival in Seoul. You wonder how much has changed in the last four years, and you reckon nothing much has when it comes to your friends. You’d left when most of you were twenty-three, and the only person you’d ever seen in person since then was Chenle, who at that time, had business in London so he stayed where you lived instead of a luxurious hotel he could afford.

“We’re heading to Chenle’s place,” Renjun announces as soon as you sit comfortably in the passenger seat of his car. “But he’s still in his studio recording something, so he won’t be around until maybe five.”

“Why are we going to Chenle’s place if he’s not there yet?” you ask. “He didn’t tell me he had work.”

“We’ve all worked around our schedules to meet you today,” Renjun explains as he turns the ignition on and starts backing up. “And everyone knows his home’s passcode. Remember back in college when his stupid fancy condo eventually became everyone’s? That’s still how it is now. Only this time, he owns a penthouse in Gangnam’s most expensive building. What a spoiled brat.”

“He earned it,” you comment.

Renjun hums. An old track from the local radio station plays just as the vehicle exits the airport’s parking area. You hadn’t heard this song in years, but your mouth sings the lyrics as though it’s only been yesterday.

Renjun is amused. “Some things never really change.”

Donghyuck suddenly changes his hair color on Sophomore year in college. You, on the other hand, are about to have an aneurysm.

Na Jaemin makes fun of you, laughs as if your reaction is the most hilarious thing he’s ever seen his entire life. He deems it as the best day of his life.

“Jaemin, am I a fucking joke to you?” you ask. Jaemin doesn’t even bother to answer. “You think this is funny?”

You almost choke on nothing when Donghyuck decides to walk towards the table you’re sharing with Jaemin inside the university’s very own cafeteria. He’s holding a tray of food for lunch. The man himself has a shy smile on his face, evidently aware of the attention that the people around are giving him because of his newly-dyed pink hair, and you can’t really blame anyone if they stared a little longer.

Because Donghyuck is already beautiful, with his shining eyes and glowing skin and a smile that could make the earth stop orbiting around the sun.

But this Donghyuck, Pink Sun as Jaemin had started calling him, he’s something else. You might pass out if you look at him a little longer.

“I told you pink looks amazing on you!” Jaemin exclaims as soon as Donghyuck is close enough.

Donghyuck instantly blushes, but covers it up with a smug smirk across his mouth.

“Careful,” Donghyuck warns. “I don’t want you getting hurt if I reject you.”

Jaemin gasps, “You would never!”

Donghyuck playfully sticks out his tongue on Jaemin and finally, finally, turns towards you. Your breath is caught in a hitch. Donghyuck tilts his head slightly and you’re about to punch himself in the face. 

“What do you think?” the man asks, smiling cheekily. “Do you think I look better blond or pink-haired?”

You swallow. It takes you great power not to pull Donghyuck and kiss him squarely on the mouth.

Blond Donghyuck was a menace in the society. Pink Sun is giving you a heart attack.

But you’re not about to make things too obvious, so you shrug and mutter a small “either is fine.” Jaemin kicks you under the table. Donghyuck sighs, taking out his phone to open its front camera, probably to check himself out as he brushes his fingertips in his hair. 

“You’re cheap, Y/N,” he says, putting his phone down. “I basically burn my scalp to get this hair color and pull it off better than Lee Taeyong ever will, and all I get from you is, ‘either is fine.’”

Jaemin laughs hysterically, taking his phone out as Donghyuck takes the empty seat beside you—like always, because seats beside you are always reserved for him. Donghyuck carefully places the tray of food he got, immediately, your eyes catch the extra drink he has and your heart somersaults because you know it’s for you.

And this is supposed to be normal. Your friends tell you it’s a routine—every day—and you and him do things for each other like second nature. So, why does it make your heart race like this?

Your phone chimes as Donghyuck starts eating.

“We really need to work on your communication skills,” the text message from Jaemin says.

Your comprehension in Korean went from bad to worse, if it’s even possible.

Renjun is currently roasting you for it, while Jisung and Kim Minjeong are arguing about what to eat. You tell them how small the Asian community in London is as compared to other countries. Jaemin announces that Mark Lee just boarded his flight from Vancouver, too, and you cheer, excited to see him as well after all these years. Yoo Jimin calls out Jisung and Minjeong’s bullshit and says she’d already ordered from the nearest restaurant.

How you all end up in Chenle’s penthouse before the owner himself is aware, you have no idea. All you know is that things have not really changed that much.

You feel a little disoriented, your mind still a little hazy from the 12-hour trip, and you hate that the jetlag is hitting you as early as now. You feel like you could fall asleep anytime soon.

Then you hear familiar voices faintly coming from the door, then the door itself being unlocked. You observe from the digital clock above Chenle’s fancy television that it’s only nearly two in the afternoon, so it’s not Chenle who’s coming in.

Donghyuck appears from the door before you realize it, and he takes your breath away before you could even look him in the eyes.

“Sorry, we’re late,” the dark-haired man says, his voice making you feel suffocated, stepping out of his boots because God forbid anyone who steps inside Zhong Chenle’s penthouse wearing the outdoor shoes.

Lee Jeno enters behind him, his eye smile ready to meet you, while Jaemin says they arrived just in time for lunch. All is a blur and everything sounds like white noise, because Donghyuck looks at you in the eyes with the softest gaze, the smallest smile, and suddenly it doesn’t feel so cold in Seoul.

Jeno walks past him and finds his space beside Jaemin. You hear Renjun and Jisung start arguing about another thing. All while Donghyuck stays still from where he stands, about ten feet away from your space, eyes still on you.

When they’re done dancing, Donghyuck walks with her, holding her hand and keeping her close.

He passes by, doesn’t even take a glance to your direction.

Donghyuck looks at you in amusement.

“It was terrible,” you grunt. “The worst day of my life.”

He giggles and pulls you in his arms, kissing the top of your head while you stand in the middle of the room. You’re still dressed in your warm clothes as you’d just arrived from the airport. You sigh in relief because you’ve been waiting for this all weekend.

“Don’t be too dramatic,” he mumbles. “Your cousin’s going to be ballistic if he learns that you called his wedding the worst day of your life.”

“You should’ve gone there with me,” you muse. “They were introducing me to so many people, and my uncle knows I’m shit at socializing, therefore forcing me to hang out with people I barely know is like stabbing me in the eye and asking me how many fingers you’re holding up.”

Donghyuck chuckles. “What could I have done if I were there?”

You smile, burying your face in his warm chest. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Then why’d you need me there?” Donghyuck asks again. You know he’s teasing you now, poking until he gets the answer he wants to hear. And you’re not about to deny Donghyuck of that. Besides, nothing is more satisfying than knowing you could make Donghyuck feel flustered despite of his strong, wild persona. So, you reach up and kiss him on the chin and hug him closer.

“Because nothing is as bad as it seems when you’re around, my love.”

Donghyuck begins to pull away, making you hold onto him tighter, as if your hands would grow cold without touching him. Donghyuck only laughs, allowing you to hug him longer, and you wonder if you could stretch this night out for as long as he can. 

The moment passes by quickly.

“Donghyuck, will you at least listen to me?”

“I’m done, Y/N.”

Renjun announces he’s done cleaning up.

Jaemin doesn’t waste a single second, getting up from his space on the other couch and announces it’s time they really catch up with everyone. It turns out that Jimin herself just got back from Germany yesterday as well, while Minjeong took a week off from work, and all had waited for you to come home before gathering in Chenle’s place.

“Mark’s a piece of shit, just like you,” Jeno comments when asked why the older didn’t take the earliest flight. Apparently, like yourself, Mark couldn’t get a couple of weeks off from work, hence he’d decided to travel a few days before the wedding, which is essentially why you all had a reason to gather once again after all these years.

“Why are you all harassing me and Mark for not being able to take a longer leave from work?” you whine, throwing a cushion towards where Jeno is seated, right beside Jimin. “It’s not like we can help it!”

Minjeong snorts, “You could’ve said you have COVID or something.”

You snicker. “Only you could think of that, Minjeong-ah.”

Jeno talks about his recent flight to Yonagunijima in Okinawa for a business trip. Renjun tells him he’s never gone that far in Japan, his farthest trip being in Osaka; Jeno says he can take him there anytime he gets some free time from work. Jaemin hypes up Jisung’s newly built dance studio and the contract he’d just signed with the biggest entertainment company in Asia, to which Jisung only downplays and says it’s not that big of deal.

You and Donghyuck stay quiet while everyone else talks over one another. He sits at the other end of the same couch you’re sitting on while Jisung occupies the space between you and him. Renjun probably feels the tension, so he cuts it.

“Donghyuck, what have you been up to?” Renjun asks, reaching over for a piece of chocolate you’d stolen from Chenle’s fridge.

Donghyuck shrugs. “Renjun-ah, don’t act like we don’t see each other every weekend.”

Renjun scoffs. “We’re here to catch up. Do you want me to tell them what you’ve been up to myself?”

Donghyuck throws a cushion and misses. “Nothing’s new about me, guys. Nothing that’s interesting enough.” Then, he leans forward and turns to you. “Maybe Y/N has anything to say. I mean, she’s the one who’s been away the longest.”

It takes you aback, the interaction unexpected, and gets you stuttering. “I’m—There’s really nothing, I mean.”

Donghyuck laughs lightly. “Loosen up. You look like you’d rather be elsewhere but here.”

“It’s not like that,” you defend. “It’s just—jetlag.”

“Of course,” Donghyuck nods. “How long was the flight?”

“Twelve hours,” you answer. Renjun does his best, distracting everyone else with a new conversation so you and Donghyuck, you assume, would feel more comfortable rather than have everyone listen to you talking with the person you used to know the best. Jisung tries to subtly leave, pretending like he needs to go to the restroom, and you know it’s a tactic because you also know Jisung like the back of your hand.

Donghyuck immediately moves closer, taking the space Jisung used to sit on, the distance pulling the air out of your lungs.

“And my flight was delayed for a couple of hours because of a storm,” you continue, clearing your voice. “So, fourteen hours in total, plus one hour from Incheon to Gangnam.”

Donghyuck nods. “Well, you fly frequently.”

You nod back. “Not that frequently anymore. Since the pandemic, I’ve been working from home a lot; there was no need to travel after all. Or move to a different country. It turns out we can do everything virtually.”

Donghyuck chuckles, almost sarcastically. “What a shame that the entire world realized suddenly that everything could work virtually.”

You smile, sadly almost. “Yeah. What a shame.”

“I didn’t get the whole thing,” Jisung sighs. “What a shame. The last parts were the best.”

“You know Chenle’s going to kill you if he finds out you took a video, right?”

Jisung nods proudly. “That was the point.”

“Lia, wait,” Donghyuck’s voice echoes—not loud enough to catch anyone else’s attention, but definitely enough for you. You watch him follow Lia out.

You decide you’ve had enough. The wedding’s done now, anyway. There’s nothing left for you here.

Jisung looks at you. “Y/N.”

“Just need some space, Jisung,” you say. “I’m okay.”

“You’re lying,” You gasp, almost dropping your iPad upon Donghyuck’s revelation. “Holy shit, Donghyuck, that’s huge!”

“Never thought I’d hear that in another context but thanks, my love,” Donghyuck replies, a proud smile etched on his mouth. He reaches over and shows you a piece of paper, the confirmation of his participation in a convention in Shanghai a couple of weeks from now. 

“Wait until Jaemin hears this,” You ramble, already on his phone to text said friend about the good news. “He’s going to throw a party for you.”

“You guys are too proud of me,” Donghyuck whines. “What if I end up being such a flop outside my comfort zone? There are going to be so many amazing artists out there. I heard some vocal majors from Konkuk are attending the conference with me, and I am already terrified of them. I can't imagine myself once I'm surrounded by even more talented and more intimidating singers."

You put down your tablet on your desk, sighing as you step closer towards Donghyuck. You’re in the apartment you share with Jimin, and Donghyuck called in earlier to tell you he’s got some great news. Neither of you really have much time to meet these days, with your internship at Seoul's biggest web developer company and the drastic changes in Donghyuck's schedule, it's a little too difficult to hang out in the safety of your apartment.

Donghyuck is evidently taken aback when you suddenly wrap an arm around his neck, tumbling when you pull him closer and kisses the air out of his lungs. You regret closing your eyes when your lips touch, thinking about the way Donghyuck looks like whenever you kiss him like this. Like Donghyuck's all you’ve ever needed. Like all the years of pining and hurting are expressed in a single kiss. Like it's everything you’ve always wanted and more.  

It's not the first time you kiss—you’ve lost count you made out in the back of Jeno’s car two months ago while all your friends are drunk and out of their minds—but it always feels like it is.

Donghyuck's lips are soft, soft, soft, and you can never get enough of the kissing him. The first, featherlight, a little hesitant touch of your lips would be your second favorite part (the favorite is when Donghyuck's licking your mouth and nibbles on your lower lip), and his hands, his delicate hands would always be in your hair, pulling and pressing and touching.

It's perfect. Donghyuck pulls you down with him on your very own bed, letting you sit on his lap.                   

He's kissing you everywhere, your lips, your cheeks, your nose, your neck, your jaw, but he stops when you begin to unbutton his shirt. You look down on him, confused and eager and dazed, and usually, Donghyuck would give in without a single fight, but this time he stops you. 

"What are we doing, Y/N?" Donghyuck lets out, like he's been holding this breath forever and now he's finally exhaling it.

"We're," you start, confused why he’s asking all of a sudden, but you don’t really have an answer to that. "We're—”

"Messing around. Having fun while we can," Donghyuck finishes, quoting your own words the first time you hooked up. "I know. But that was before, right? What about now? What are we doing now?"

Your hands drop on Donghyuck's side. Donghyuck quickly takes both of them in his, giving you a comforting squeeze, as if he's encouraging you to say something. To be brave. To let go. 

"We can't go on like this if you don't answer me, Y/N," Donghyuck says softly. "I know what I want, and you know that it's you. Just you. From the beginning. As long as I live. And you are making me happy right now. But I need to know if this is what you want, too."

"Love, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want you," you explain, eyes wavering.

"Y/N, listen to me," Donghyuck urges, letting go of one of your hands to hold your face so you could look into each other's eyes. "Tell me now. Tell me now, honestly, if this is something you would want in the long run."

"Donghyuck," You sigh, like you’re begging for Donghyuck to stop asking. But Donghyuck doesn't let his guard down. He keeps his hands on you, waiting.

You want nobody else but Donghyuck, too. From the beginning. For as long as you live. And Donghyuck is making you happy, and you know well that Donghyuck will make you happy in the long run. The last two months of whatever game you’re playing had been fun. There was no agreement on being exclusive, no rules of some sort, and it all fell into place like you and him are supposed to end up like this. You hadn’t put a label on it, but you and Donghyuck are best friends for many years now. You went through growing pains together, survived each one of the flights you frequently took around the world, went to the same college together, and you don’t really see the point of rushing for a label now.

Because you have other things in mind other than what you feel right now. You have codes to master and board directors to impress. Donghyuck has auditions to pass and flights to catch as well, and now, an opportunity in Shanghai. Not to mention you’re both cramming to have the best credentials to get you the best job after graduation. Now is not really the best time.

So, just like many happenstances in your life, you come up with a stupid, stupid answer.

"I—I don't know, Donghyuck," you say nervously. "I mean, you're clearly making me happy. And I don't plan on seeing anyone else, but I haven't really gotten around to think about it."

Donghyuck takes his touch away all of a sudden. You reach out to hold his hands in place back to your face, but he lets go.

"Think about it?" Donghyuck asks, voice shaking. "What is there to think about? It's a simple question, Y/N. Do you want me for a long time or am I just some good fuck for you?"

"Donghyuck, why are you saying that?" you retort, angry now. "I just said you make me happy. And I'm not playing with you. I just—it's—with all the things going on in my life and yours, a relationship is not something I can maintain right now."

"Maintain?" Donghyuck chuckles, pulling his hands away, gently pushing you off his lap and standing away from your bed to put some space between you and him. "Y/N, we've been best friends since we were in high school. Literally nothing has changed for us except we kiss and fuck now. What is there to think about? I really do not understand."

You sigh. The sound of it makes Donghyuck pull away further until he’s picking up his backpack. 

"Donghyuck, wait," You say, but Donghyuck is already out of his room, barefoot, his shoes in his hands.

Barefoot, his shoes in one hand, two bottles of beer on the other, Donghyuck finds you by the pool outside the wedding reception. He sits beside you and mimics the way you rolled the bottom of your dress up to your thighs so it doesn’t get wet and does the same with his expensive trousers.

“What are you doing out here?” you muse, eyes staring blankly at the way your feet look blurred out underwater. “Shouldn’t you be inside getting drunk and having the time of your life?”

Donghyuck chuckles, his cheeks painted like cherries, mouth glazed like strawberries, and hands you the cold bottle of beer. “I’m already drunk. Do you think I’d have the courage to come find you here if I was sober?”

You nod, taking the bottle from his hand. “Good point. Fun party?”

“Jaemin and Jeno never fail to organize the best party,” he stammers. “They used to invite everyone in their shared apartment to play the American games they learned from Johnny-hyung. I can’t believe they’re married now.”

Jaemin and Jeno, the very reason why all of you gathered after all these years, have always been destined for each other, and you know this because you’d seen them start off as nothing and watched them turn to everything. Their wedding had been the sole reason why you’d returned to Seoul.

“I always knew they’d end up together,” you mutter, drinking from the cold bottle. “I used to manifest it. I said it all the time I saw them together.”

Donghyuck giggles. “You used to believe in the law of attraction so much. You manifested everything that’s happened in your life.”

“I did, didn’t I?” you reply, tasting the bitterness coming from the drink, a reminder why you prefer any other drink aside from beer.

It’s quite for a minute until Donghyuck talks.

“Why didn’t you manifest us?” he says suddenly, words a little grumbled. He’s probably had too much to drink already. You hold onto him naturally as his head starts swaying until his head is leaning against your shoulder, close enough to hear each other breathing. “Y/N, why did you never say we’d end up together like this, too? You were so damn good with this law of attraction bullshit. You could’ve manifested our wedding, too.”

Donghyuck is drunk, and drunk Donghyuck is always vulnerable. His tone of voice is enough for you to decide to cut this trip shorter than it already is. A week, you had promised Jeno and Jaemin, you’d leave two days after the wedding. But at this moment, when you’re frozen in place, Donghyuck’s warmth touching your coldness, you begin to ponder if it had been a good idea to come back in Seoul at all.

You love Jeno and Jaemin and would do anything for them in a heartbeat. Therefore, when the couple announced their engagement two months ago, it had been a quick, solid yes, of course, I’ll be there because you wouldn’t miss their wedding for the world, even if it had been exactly four years and two months since the last time you’d breathed the air of Seoul and that you’d rather die than be in a 12-hour flight, you swore you’d be with your friends during such a huge chapter of their lives.

Your schedules were immediately reconstructed, a ticket to Seoul safely tucked in the files in your desk’s drawer, and all your friends from London were already asking you to bring something back from Seoul when your trip is over. It was all set, with the promise of checking in with your teammates from work during your one-week leave, and it was the easiest itinerary you’d ever made. What you failed to prepare, truly, is yourself.

Somehow, you knew this would happen. You knew coming back would mean seeing Donghyuck. And seeing Donghyuck means opening wounds you’re not certain have healed and resuming conversations you’d never wanted to go back to. And this means, at any given time Donghyuck is within your space, you’d be a goner.

Because four years, it turns out, isn’t enough to get over him.

Quite funny, if you think about it now, how after all these years, you’re still orbiting around him.

You clear your throat, no words coming out, and Donghyuck starts to fall asleep against your shoulder.

Your right shoulder feels sore after falling asleep on your side on Chenle’s couch the morning after Jaemin and Jeno’s bachelor party. It was crazy, to say the least, and you’d decided to drink your guts to in hopes of not remembering anything in the morning. It sucks because you’re stupidly hungover and you remember everything.

The group was divided into two. You, Renjun, Donghyuck, and Minjeong were in charge of Jaemin in the other side of the city, courtesy of Jung Jaehyun for sponsoring and personally planning the grand party for his favorite dongsaeng. Meanwhile, Jisung, Chenle, Mark, and Jimin had planned Jeno’s very own party, along with Lee Taeyong who funded the event.

If you’re being completely honest, you’d think that after college, your friends would lose their sparks in setting up amazing parties, but last night proved you wrong.

The alcohol was disgusting, but you like that it made Renjun do things he wouldn’t do sober. Jaemin refused to get shit-faced drunk because his wedding is in two days, his hangovers usually last an entire day—he doesn’t want to show up at his own wedding looking like a zombie. Minjeong, well, she’s Minjeong, so she was just all over the place, nagging and getting drunk. She’s also a snob who thinks so highly of herself despite being the youngest in the group and liked to look down on her older friends all while attempting to stand upright after downing five shots of tequila.

Donghyuck, however, decided to bring his new girlfriend. Her name is Lia. And the only goal last night was to stay as far away as possible.

You knew that the relationship was new because Jisung filled you in before you had all parted ways for the parties, said that Donghyuck started dating her two months ago right around the time Jaemin and Jeno got engaged, Jimin being their bridge because Lia and Jimin have been friends since last year. Apparently, Lia’s been interested with him for years now; she just never had the chance because like you, Donghyuck also disappeared in and out from Seoul for a couple of years until he’d decided to stay here for good two years ago.

You can’t remember how many shots you had and how many cocktails were handed to you last night, but you wish you had more because it was evidently not enough to erase the scenarios from last night. It wasn’t enough to blur out the memories of Donghyuck holding her, kissing her, dancing with her, and just all out being a lovey-dovey boyfriend.

It’s a relief that you got home safely. There was no designated driver because the plan was to really get drunk, so Jaehyun had one of his employees drive everyone to Chenle’s penthouse because it’s the closest. You hope the others returned to Jeno’s place safely, too.

You stay still from where you’re lying down, eyes up on the ceiling, wondering what time it is. There was no plan for today aside from wedding rehearsal at six in the evening to make sure everything’s all set for tomorrow, so you reckon you have the entire day to get rid of your hangover.

You roll over to your side, facing the television, and the clock tells you it’s eleven in the morning. Renjun is snoring away from the other couch, and you remember letting Minjeong sleep on your bed for the night. You’re staring at Renjun’s sleeping form when someone on the carpeted floor suddenly rolls over, allowing you to see their face.

Donghyuck’s sleeping on the floor beside the couch, body parallel to yours so you can see his peaceful sleeping face, mouth slightly agape. He’s now sleeping on his back, head supported by one of the cushions, body covered with his jacket from last night. You remember parting ways with him with him last night. He’d taken a taxi with Lia back to her place while the rest of you went home in Jaehyun’s SUV. You don’t remember him coming back here.

You stare at him for as long as you can, because in the last three days in Seoul, you’d never really gotten the chance to get a good look on him. You and him don’t follow each other from any social media, so the last four years had truly been radio silence from both sides. Donghyuck, at 27, doesn’t look like he’s aged that much, albeit his round cheeks being gone, replaced by prominent cheekbones. It looks like he never bothered to get rid of the constellations forming on his face and neck, too, because they’re still here, just like many things that haven’t changed. Donghyuck used to love dyeing his hair crazy colors, now his hair is just colored naturally. His lips, wonder if they still taste the same.

“He’s going to melt,” Renjun says suddenly, you plop your head back to the couch, guilty for staring too long. Renjun sits up, stretching and laughing at your misery. “And you’re going to have a heart attack if you keep sneaking glances and getting caught. How many times has Jisung caught you in the last 72 hours?”

“Shut up,” you mumble, getting up and stretching as well. “What do you want to eat for breakfast?”

You carefully get off from the couch, making sure you don’t topple on Donghyuck’s sleeping body, draping the blanket over his body, walking towards Chenle’s fancy kitchen. Renjun helps you, rummaging through the fridge, and comes up with a breakfast menu with whatever you had in the kitchen.

Donghyuck wakes up before you and Renjun could finish cooking everything. He’s quiet when he approaches you in the kitchen, softly asking if you could make coffee for him. You don’t say no, of course.

“This is the most disgusting cup of coffee, I’ve had my entire life,” Donghyuck complains, leaning over the counter where you’re working on the opposite side of. “Stop jeopardizing the café’s reputation. You’re not some scientist so stop mixing concoctions from hell just to brag that you’re a part-time barista and a full-time college student. You make me sick. Literally.”

You ignore all of it, of course, eyebrows furrowed as you take another sip of the quote and quote disgusting coffee, trying to figure out what went wrong this time.

“I think it needs a bit more vanilla,” you think out loud.

“I will not join you in this stupid crusade of making your own “Barista’s Special” recipe,” he continues. “And I will tell your manager you’re wasting coffee!”

“Aha!” you exclaim when you think you got it right. “Maybe I need to level the grounds better and add another pump of vanilla. Let me try that. It should taste better.”

Donghyuck chuckles as you move around and attempt to make another cup. “You’ve been saying it should taste better since last week.”

He keeps complaining, but takes the new cup of coffee as soon as you’re done.

Donghyuck drinks.

You wait.

It still tastes disgusting.

“It’s sweet,” Donghyuck comments when he drinks it. You tilt your head. Renjun is finishing up on the scrambled eggs. You hear Minjeong come out of your room.

“Is that a bad thing?” you ask, hopeful.

Donghyuck shakes his head, chuckling. “Better than the ones you made when we were in university.”

“Hey!” you laugh. “I was awarded employee of the month once!”

“That doesn’t erase the fact that you forced me to drink your disgusting concoctions for three weeks straight,” he states, making you laugh even more. “I guess, all these years you’d learned what you were missing.”

“I’ll miss you,” you mumble against Donghyuck’s chest. “The internship will just be for a few months. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Donghyuck kisses the top of your head. “When you come back,” he mutters. “When you come back, I’ll ask you to be my girlfriend.”

You freeze.

“And you’ll say yes. And we’ll graduate together and make a life for both of us.”

You pull away a little so that you’re looking at him face to face. Donghyuck has tears threatening to fall from his eyes. You wipe it off with the sleeves of his jacket you’re wearing.

“I’ll say yes,” you promise. “And we’ll graduate together and make a life for both of us.”

A woman’s voice announces your flight number once again and says the gates are closing in five minutes. Donghyuck kisses you in the mouth—a promise—and tells you he loves you.

“Oh, Donghyuck,” you say. “I love you, too.”

“Come back home to me, yeah?”

“I will.”

Yours and Donghyuck’s favorite restaurant was located two blocks away from his parents’ home. It closed a few years ago when its owner passed away and his children were too heartbroken to keep the business running. It was a staple from your entire high school life, and if you could say it, it defined your standards when it comes to food.

You’d just gotten a call from home that your childhood pet had to be put down because of old age and many diseases, and you called in sick for work—thank God, Johnny was willing to cover for you otherwise the manager would’ve rejected your request to stay at home for the day—and you’re truly not in the mood for anything at all.

You haven’t been home for quite sometime now, the last time being the holidays and you normally just spend a couple of days before heading back to the campus, so everything really sucks. You didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye.

Donghyuck hears this from Jimin, of course, because your roommate called him as soon as she heard you crying from your room. He literally carries you out of your room, says grieving is better when there’s food.

As soon as you see the person standing behind the counter, you recognize the place right away. Although located in a different street now, nearby where you are, the place looks exactly the same from when it did years ago.

“Y/N! Donghyuckie!” the lady behind the counter greets.

“Oh my,” you squeal. “Auntie, I didn’t know you’re back in business! How long has it been?”

The new owner, the late owner’s eldest daughter, smiles at you and tells you they re-opened sometime this year. She tells you to find a seat and confirms she knew your order by heart.

Donghyuck sits across you. “You like it?”

“Why did you not take me here sooner?”

He smiles. “Supposedly on your birthday a couple of weeks from now. But with what happened today, I guess this is the best time.”

“You’re the best.”

It’s Jisung and Chenle who find you and Donghyuck by the pool area hours later. Donghyuck had completely fallen asleep on your shoulder. The younger ones help you and practically carry Donghyuck towards the car.

Jaemin and Jeno have left the venue so they could prepare for their flight the next day. You hadn’t paid much attention to the time when Donghyuck drunkenly approached you. Jisung tells you it’s already two in the morning.

Chenle tells you Donghyuck had broken up with Lia—the reason, he’s uncertain—which is why she stormed off from the reception and Donghyuck decided to drink his ass off while you were wandering around the place. You shrug, acknowledging the news like it doesn’t make your heart race, like it doesn’t give you some sort of hope you didn’t know you had stored, and tell them they should take him home.

Jisung says Donghyuck lives on the other side of the city, so it’s best you all head back to Chenle’s.

Jisung and Chenle share the latter’s bed, and you’re not going to let Donghyuck sleep on the couch after he had complained about his back hurting when he’d fallen asleep on the floor the other day, so it’s only right that you let Jisung and Chenle carry him to your bed.

When you wake up on the couch the next day, Donghyuck’s shoes are no longer by the doorsteps.

His footsteps are loud.

“Donghyuck, this isn’t going to work if you don’t fucking give me a chance to explain!” You scream a few feet behind Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck is running away, and you’re beginning to think that convincing him to go to the gym might not have been the greatest decision because Donghyuck is literally sprinting, like he’s being chased by something so terrifying.

You almost stop. Donghyuck, who always called him home, never ran away from you all these years. Not, it looks like he’d rather be anywhere but where you. Nothing feels worse than that. 

You’d just gotten back from your internship in the US, one more term and you’re graduating. The internship was easily the best thing that’s happened to you this year. They were already thinking of offering you a contract as soon as you graduate. They let you go back home, of course, to complete your degree, and said they’d be willing to keep training you in the states and have you relocate to Europe once you graduate because they’ll be expanding their business out there.

It's also the night of Donghyuck's first showcase, the first show he's headlining along with musicians and artists from different universities. You had promised Donghyuck you’d watch and support him, but things doesn't always go on your favor, because as soon as you’d landed, you were needed back to the campus for an interview for the university’s publishing team because they wanted you to talk about your experience alongside the others who went to the states to complete their internship. It was supposed to be an hour session, but you and everyone in the panel liked the questions they were asking, and somehow you felt like this was a sign that the company in the US could lead to better, brighter things for you.

Hence, you were late. Halfway through the show. Donghyuck got mad, but promised he understood. He asked for some space, at least for the rest of the night. But you wanted to apologize properly, to take him out for dinner even if it's already past midnight, and insisted that you should talk about it. Donghyuck refused, you kept insisting, until the former said something about you being a shitty girlfriend.

It’s a shitty excuse, but you were absolutely fucking tired. You’re still jetlagged from the 16-hour difference, and the entire session with your fellow interns took two hours of your day.

What you had left for the day was so little, and you chose to spend it with Donghyuck, but he decided to be an ass about it.

"I never said anything about being your girlfriend," was your dumb reply, which is why you’re now running after him from the building of Chenle’s condominium.

You pull Donghyuck with force as soon as you catch up with him, and you’re faced with your worst fear.

Donghyuck is crying. He’s never cried before, not because of you. A deep painful breath comes out of your mouth, and it hurts when you breathe, like inhaling a cloud of smoke or being hit by a ball in the back. Donghyuck keeps crying, doesn’t even hide it. He sobs and heaves and he doesn’t wipe his tears.

"Donghyuck, can you just—”

“I’m tired,” Donghyuck sobs. “Y/N, I’m so tired. I sound pathetic and I’m not sure if I’m exhausted from the performance or I’m just done with you.”

“I’m sorry,” is all what you could come up with. 

“This,” Donghyuck says, gesturing the small space between you. “I don’t think it’s worth all of the pain I am feeling right now, Y/N. You’re my best friend. I—I, fuck, I used to think that maybe someday this will all be worth it, but I am tired of waiting for that day. I am drained and you have consumed all of me. I waited for you, and I keep waiting until you finally just—let go and decide you want to be with me and stop playing this never-ending game of friends with benefits bullshit we started. I’m done. What else do you want from me?”

“I—I… Donghyuck,” you stutter. I want you to give me a chance. I want you to give me more time to figure some things out myself. I want you to wait a little longer.

"I rejected Ryujin a week before you came home,” Donghyuck confesses. "When you were in the states, and you suddenly changed your mind about being my girlfriend and told me I should go out and date other people and that I shouldn’t hold myself back, I was angry. I didn’t understand why you were pushing me away so much when I’m here!”

You stay still, crying.

“I’m here,” he repeats. “I’m here and I love you, and I’ve never asked anything in return. And you tell me you love me, but you do things that—that hurt me. Every time I think we’re finally going somewhere, you—you push back and I’m just—I’m sick of it. And Jaemin said I should just move on if you can’t make up your mind because I don’t know if you haven’t realized it but Y/N, we’ve been at it for years.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Jeno and Jaemin set me up with Ryujin,” he continues. “We went to a couple of dates. And then you called me saying you’re coming back home. So, I broke it off before we even got started. I told her it would be unfair if I kept leading her on when I know that I am still ridiculously in love with you. She said it would be alright and that she's giving me all the time and space I need to think about things."

Donghyuck curses and continues, "But I didn't need time and space, Y/N. Because I already knew that all I've ever wanted was you. I didn't need to think. I only needed you."

You don’t know what to say. You’re still holding him by his arm.

“If you're not going to say anything, let me go,” Donghyuck sternly says. You have a feeling it’s not the grip on his arm that Donghyuck is talking about. “Please.”

The single biggest mistake of your life happened on the third street from Chenle’s place, under the broken streetlight, across the ice cream parlor Donghyuck used to work at when he was seventeen. 

You let him go. Donghyuck stops waiting.

The wait from the audience was long enough.

They say your graduation day is going to be one of the happiest moments in your life. It’s not. Not at all.

Not when you’d gotten your diploma on stage and Donghyuck shows you he doesn’t give a fuck by looking everywhere else. Not when it’s picture taking time with your friends and families and he decides to stand on the other side, far, far away from you. Not when his parents ask him to take a picture with you and he shrugs it off and says he’s hungry and that he’s meeting everyone at the restaurant, leaving with his entire family.

Renjun whispers, “Does he even know you’re leaving first thing in the morning?”

You shrug it off, too. “Looks like he has other things to care about.”

Jaemin sighs. “You’re not serious about this, are you? You and Donghyuck better pull your shit together. Both of you already ruined the moment for everyone.”

Renjun eyes him. “It’s not your fault, Y/N. If Donghyuck doesn’t want to listen, then so be it.”

“It’s not Donghyuck’s fault either,” Jaemin defends. “Because he’s been trying to get answers and you wouldn’t give it to him. So, I don’t think it’s his fault that he’s done.”

“We’re not picking sides here, Jaemin,” Jeno says. “Let’s go.”

Jeno and Jaemin sandwiches you in a tight hug.

The next day after the wedding, in the afternoon, the newlyweds are bound to France for their honeymoon. They’re traveling the continent for two weeks (unfortunately, London excluded from their itinerary), and all of you decided to drop them off as if they’re leaving for years. In your case, this may be the last time you’re seeing them for a long time.

“I love you,” Jaemin says as the two very strong and buff men hug you. “I know things have been tough and coming back here took a lot from you, but thank you for making sure you were present during the wedding.”

“I hope this isn’t the last time in another four years that we’d see you in person,” Jeno adds. “We miss you, you know? Please come visit us when you have time.”

“I love you two so much,” you cry, emotional with the way they’re holding you. “Go have fun.”

They bid their goodbyes to everyone else and enter the airport.

“If I don’t get the same treatment when I leave, I’m ghosting everyone,” Mark announces. Jisung laughs. “What? You all acted like they’re going away for two years. They’re coming back in literally and exactly two weeks!”

“Go be unhappy somewhere, hyung,” Donghyuck teases, making everyone laugh as you all walk back to where their cars are parked.

Chenle needs to go back to work, so did Jimin and Jisung, hence they ride all together. Minjeong’s visiting a friend, so she’s riding with Mark and Renjun because they’re all going to the same side of the city. Which means, Donghyuck is driving you back to Chenle’s place.

“Your flight is tomorrow, too, right?” Mark asks. You hum, nodding. “Come visit me in Vancouver sometime soon, too. Or I’ll fly to London.”

“Wow, you have a lot of money to spend on flying around the world multiple times, huh?” you tease.

“Hey, you’re the frequent flyer here,” he comments. “Wonder how many miles you’ve earned and redeemed from all this flying you’ve done in this lifetime.”

You laugh. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mark.”

Renjun and the others bid you goodbye. You’re not really certain why you and Donghyuck silently agreed to watch your friends leave, you and him standing a foot away from each other as they all drive away. For some reason, it feels like the last time.

The first time it happened, you and Donghyuck decide it’s an accident.

You were drunk, and it had been a while for the two of you considering how busy you both have been because of finals coming up. It was convenient, if you say so yourself, to have your best friend right beside you when you were feeling hot and horny. The morning after was settled with a kiss on your forehead—no apologies as discussed, because neither you nor him regretted it anyway, but there’s a promise that nothing changes.

The second time it happened, you and Donghyuck decide it’s not going to be a one-time thing.

“So, to make it clear,” you huff as you quickly get rid of your pants while Donghyuck pulls his shirt off. “This isn’t a one-time thing.”

“I don’t see an issue if it’s not,” he replies, unbuckling his belt and pulling his pants down, pushing you against the wall and kissing you down your neck. “Besides, we’re best friends.”

You lean your head against the wall, thinking if it’s too late to back out, but Donghyuck’s already has his hands all over you—one on your breast and the other on your waist. It’s not really that bad of an idea. Donghyuck is your best friend, and your friendship has withstood time, distance, growing pains, and mostly everything. And perhaps it’s the way you haven’t stopped thinking about your first time together that’s making you feel so, so vulnerable under his touch, but it’s not like anything’s changed since that night. In fact, if you’re being completely honest, it made you feel like you and Donghyuck know each other better now—in ways that other pairs like you don’t.

Hence, whatever thought you had a minute ago, you throw it down the drain and you let Donghyuck (messily, heartedly giggling) carry you by hoisting you up and wrapping your legs around his waist and bring you back to his unmade bed.

Donghyuck knows how to use his tongue, and you’ve kind of always known because all the girls he’s ever slept with talk about him like he’s a god of tongue or something. Donghyuck licks your lips before diving in, as if he’s giving you a taste of what you’re about to have, and he pushes his tongue in, massaging it with yours, and it almost feels like he’s teaching you how to use the muscle in your mouth. You realize how much he likes kissing, because he kisses more than he touches. He kisses you for what felt like hours, and you’re not about to complain about it.

You let him gently drop you on his bed. His warm palms caressing its way from your waist down to the side of your thighs where he knows you like being touched the most (and you’re not certain whether he’d learned this from stories or from the time you and him had sex); Donghyuck keeps his mouth on you as he rubs circles against your hot skin.

The finger he slips between your underwear and right above your clit sends you shivers down your spine. He allows you to catch your breath for a second, moving his mouth from your lips down to your neck, but doesn’t give you enough time to recover because he rubs your clit oh, so gently.

“We’re best friends,” he repeats, murmuring the words against the skin on your neck. “Nothing changes, except now I know where to touch you.”

He does. He touches you everywhere and slips his middle finger in your hole, sighing against your skin when he feels how wet you’ve gotten simply from kissing.

“You’ve always been such a good girl for me,” he whispers, keeping his finger inside, his palm pressed against your clit. “Such a good girl. Wet and ready for me. You really are my best friend.”

“Donghyuck,” you whine. He starts rubbing from inside, moving a single finger in an upward motion, eliciting a moan from you.

“What?” he asks innocently. “You are. You are my best friend. I don’t think everyone can say they let their best friends fuck them when they’re horny. Which makes me the best best friend, too. Because I fuck the brains out of you when you’re horny. Aren’t we the best team the world has ever seen?”

Donghyuck slips another finger in—easily, because nothing can describe how we you are now. He tongues the skin on your collarbone, licking and tasting and smirking all throughout, then he fingers you properly. At this point, your underwear’s stretched from one thigh to the other.

Donghyuck likes to tease you, and you know this because he massages the inside of your hole in a swift upward motion before pulling his fingers out and slowly filling you again. He does this slowly, then fast, then slowly once again. The explicit sound of your wetness makes him chuckle, leaving your collarbones and using his other hand to pull the left cup of your bra down and goes in. He bites and nips and licks and sucks your breast while he fingers you stupid—legs apart, shamelessly wet and fucking ready for him—and you take everything he gives you.

He doesn’t make you cum though, because Donghyuck is Donghyuck. Nobody is more cunning than him.

But he doesn’t make you wait. As soon as he feels you’re about to cum, he slips his fingers out and rids himself off his own underwear, then slipping the last two pieces barely hanging on your body.

He fucks you dumb. Raw. All his glory and skin. You have no other words aside from that.

He doesn’t wait because there’s truly no need to adjust with how wet and ready you fucking are. He’s big, but Donghyuck knows how to fuck well. He knows how to prevent discomfort and he’s done a very good job at proving that to you.

He fucks you missionary, and usually, this isn’t something you’d opt for. You like being fucked hard with no sense of affection and all that bullshit when you’re stressed and in need of some kind of relief. But with Donghyuck, it’s heavenly despite how sinful his hips snap.

He fucks you. Again and again. He makes you cum twice before he pulls out and spills himself on your stomach.

He kisses you, giggles at the way you’re dumbfounded, cleans you up, and lets you sleep on his bed as though nothing has changed.

Because nothing did. Nothing ever will.

“Funny how things have changed so much in the last four years, huh?” Donghyuck asks, eyes on the road.

Donghyuck’s said he’s driving you home. You haven’t been in Seoul in four years, but the route he’s taking is definitely not the way to Chenle’s.

“We’re taking the long way home,” he interjects when he realizes you’re looking at the GPS on his car’s tablet. “There’s, uh, heavy traffic on the usual way because of some road construction. And you’re going back tomorrow. You haven’t really gone around the city, so I figured it’d be a good time.”

You hum, looking at him with a small smile.

“Sure,” you buy. “It feels like only yesterday you were driving a beat-up Hyundai. Now, you’re all fancy.”

He chuckles, turning as his car speeds through the bridge. “Well, many things have changed since you left.”

Donghyuck looks beautiful like this: Seoul’s horizon running like a movie as he drives, smile soft, eyes bright.

“I’m sorry,” you brave up.

It takes you great courage to say it out loud. As best friends, you and Donghyuck had always said “thank you,” and “I love you” openly, and in countless of occasions, these words have healed scratches made around your friendship. Rarely you and him would ever say you’re sorry. The only time you can remember apologizing to him was the night, a few weeks before graduation when you’d just returned from the States after your internship. That sorry barely made up the wounds you’d caused.

At this age, you understand why saying sorry wasn’t normal for you and Donghyuck. You and him were inseparable. You were soulmates—are if you can bravely say it out loud. Your bond is stronger with him than anyone else, and you’d always believed that nothing could ever come between you and him. Like the decisions you’d made, nothing changed until something did. And when things changed, you and him had no idea what to do. Because as far as you can remember, you and Donghyuck remained constant, like a routine, a bible with a comprehensive and cohesive series of stories that’s never changed. So, when feelings got in between—denial and pining and confusion—neither of you had any idea how to handle it.

Donghyuck was bold and brave. You, on the other hand, had no ounce of courage to give it a try.

He only smiles. “A few years too late, don’t you think?”

You nod. “I know. Do you accept my apology?”

“If you buy me ice cream,” he answers.

“Done,” you say, smiling back at him. “I was scared.”

Donghyuck keeps his eyes on the road. “Of?”

“That I’d come back to Seoul and see you married with kids and all.”

“And what’s so scary about that?”

“Because it would mean I’d thrown away all the chances the universe has given me.”

Donghyuck looks ethereal like this: in a suit, smiling as he watches his bride walk down the aisle.

“Take care, yeah?” Renjun whispers as he hugs you.

Mark’s Dad and Mark himself are waiting for you outside. As most of your friends have gone home to their families after graduation, with the exception of Renjun and Jisung who spared some time today just to see you off, Mark volunteered (his dad) to drop you off the airport.

“I will,” you say, burying your face into his chest. “Any word from Donghyuck?”

Renjun pulls away and looks down. You know the answer.

“It’s okay,” you answer, mostly to yourself. “He’ll call me back soon. I’m sure.”

“I hope so,” Renjun mumbles.

The only call you get before you enter the gates is a drunken one. It’s Donghyuck.

“I hate you,” he grits through the device. “And I never want to see you again.”

“I didn’t want to come back,” you confess. Donghyuck keeps his hands on the steering wheel. “Because you’d said you never wanted to see me again.”

“And I sent you messages you never received,” Donghyuck says. It surprises you. “Because your Korean number was no longer active and you’d blocked me from everything at that time.”

You smile, wondering if you had a little bit more understanding—if you had waited a little before deactivating your old number, if you had given it some time—would you and Donghyuck end up together in the end? If Donghyuck hadn’t been drunk the night you left Seoul—if he’d taken a taxi before you boarded the plane, if he’d just said sorry back—would you and him have gotten into a relationship right away?

Regret, just like grief, makes you feel things like this. They make you wonder what could have happened, if it would’ve given you the same, awful outcome, or if it would take you to the happy ending you keep dreaming about.

“Funny how we had many things we couldn’t say despite us being best friends,” he comments. “And you agree that many things have changed in the last four years, right?”

You hum, looking out your window, watching the horizon blur in motion.

“Donghyuck-ah,” you whisper, eyes still on the moving horizon. “The only thing that hasn’t changed for me.”

“What?” he asks.

“You,” you say. “You’re the only one that hasn’t changed for me. You’re still sharp when you need to be, but gentle where people you love need you to be. You’re still beautiful like the day I had realized I loved you. It wasn’t shocking, though. That day. I wasn’t all too shocked that your newly-dyed pink hair was the eureka moment for me. Because I knew all along. It was more like a flick on the wrist rather than a surprise. Like it’s always been there. The pink hair was just a reminder.”

Donghyuck stays quiet.

“And I say this like I’m hoping I could go back to four years ago and try harder to apologize,” you continue, tears already brimming your eyes. “But I guess we needed this, Donghyuck. We needed to grow—sadly—apart. And I feel like, no, I know that I wouldn’t have gotten to know myself better if we didn’t grow apart.”

“Yeah,” he speaks for what seems like a long time. “We were—you were right all along. We couldn’t just risk it all for a relationship. I had offers left and right even before we’d graduated, and you.”

You look at him. Donghyuck’s eyes are carefully still on the road, but his gaze is soft, eyes shining from the tears welling up.

“You were made to see the world,” he says, and it breaks you like glass. “I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I were the reason why you don’t have the life you have now. Because it wouldn’t have worked. I love you, and I just know that at that time, when we were young and all, I wouldn’t have let you go work abroad. The few months you spent in the state for a mere internship already shook our friendship in ways we didn’t expect. What more if we had been in a relationship?”

“Donghyuck,” you sniffle. “I love you. And it hurt. And I’m sorry it us this long. I’m sorry it took me this long.”

“Stop apologizing. Y/N, I would’ve let you go eventually,” he confesses. “Because I love you so much that I’d be willing to let you go if it meant you could soar.”

The sun sets in the horizon the next time you look out your window.

Donghyuck keeps one hand on the wheel and shows you the other, palm up.

You take it with courage.

And you. You look beautiful like this: dressed in white, smiling as you walk towards your groom. You best friend. Donghyuck.

[praxeus-13]

There’s Something Missing

(Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3)

Pairing: Dh!Master x Time Lord!Reader

Word Count: 4000

Summary: You’ve been living in the same place for as long as you remembered, tortured with the knowledge that you’ve forgotten almost every aspect of your past life. Until one day, you meet three strangers and gain some hope for your future.

Warnings: amnesia (does that count as a warning?)

A/N: Reader is gender neutral :D Also to everyone who’s sent in requests, I have seen them and I am starting to write them :) Idk when the next part will be posted, but there will be at least two more parts to this series

You had lost count of how many years had passed, you gave up after the hundredth year, losing all hope of getting out of the hell you lived in. New people would appear every decade or so, sticking around for anywhere between a few hours or a few years - though never as long as you. It always hurt to lose people, even if you never got to know them too well, no one ever left alive.

However, the thing that hurt most was the gaping hole in your memories. It was a constant source of emotional pain for you, sometimes turning into a physical pain in the form of a headache whenever you tried to remember your life outside of this place. That was one thing that became painfully obvious, everyone else who turned up had a life before this place, they had people they loved and a life to go back to.

All you remembered was waking up here one day, many years ago, and promptly having to run for your life. There hadn’t been any other people for a long time, but eventually they showed up. The people came with too many questions, and you were unable to answer any of them. They had asked you your name, and you nearly cried when you had to admit you didn’t know it.

You didn’t tell the first people about the name you did remember, because they never asked for anyone else’s name. Somehow you knew that the name you could remember wasn’t yours.

Koschei.

Whoever Koschei was, it wasn’t you, but over the years the name became the embodiment of all your hope. Most times it was the only thing keeping you going, motivating you to stick to the endless routine of running, hiding and scavenging.

You dreamt about your life before, or you thought you did. Koschei was in nearly every dream, and there had been countless times where you had woken up with their name on your lips. You never remembered their face, but you could see feint outlines. Somehow there were several different versions of Koschei, though you could tell that it was always the same person.

In quiet moments you would day dream about them, hoping that one day they would show up in your hell to rescue you. Sometimes you imagined that they would hold you in their arms as they told you who the two of you were, whereas other times you remembered everything from before the moment you locked eyes with Koschei.

———

It had probably been a few years since you had seen anyone else, and you found yourself getting lonely again. Talking to yourself became boring after a while, and there was rarely any good memories to focus on in the times you needed them. You were sat in your makeshift bed in the bunker you had discovered many years ago, trying to distract yourself from the hunger gnawing at your stomach, when you heard voices.

Of course, there was a possibility that you were imagining things, but it was worth investigating. Once you were out of the bunker, you set off down the hallway hoping to hear the voices again. Of course, you only heard them again once you had started to give up hope.

“- always wondering off?”

You only managed to catch the last part of the conversation, but this was definitely someone new talking, a man from the sounds of it.

“Not always.” There was a pause. “Well okay, yeah she is but-“

The second voice sounded like a woman, with a different accent to the man.

Unfortunately, since it had been a while since you had met anyone new, you had forgotten the importance of staying quiet and hidden until you could be sure they were safe. You accidentally kicked a rock across the ground, and it made a scratching noise as it slid across the worn tile floor.

Hopefully they wouldn’t hear it.

“Did you hear that?”

Shit.

Hopefully these people were some of the nicer ones, and not the kind who would attack first and ask questions later (you had encountered a few of those).

“Hello?” The man called out from around the corner, though his call was followed by a muffled exclamation from the woman.

You debated you options before deciding that the best course of action would be to talk to the newcomers. They didn’t sound like a threat, and even if they were you had a couple makeshift knives on you to defend yourself with.

Luckily, once you walked round the corner you were met with an unthreatening sight. Neither of them were armed with anything, and their clothes definitely weren’t ones that a warrior or soldier would wear. Still, you knew that appearances could be deceiving so you remained weary of them.

“Hi, I’m Yaz and this is Dan, we’re a bit lost - where are we?” The woman - Yaz - had an air of authority about the way she spoke.

“Hell, I guess. I don’t know exactly.” You replied, not wanting to give them too much information.

“Well that’s ominous.” Dan huffed out with a slight laugh, clearly nervous about your answer.

Yaz ignored him, “Okay, have you seen anyone else down here? We’re looking for our friend, she was here with us but then we got separated.”

“I haven’t seen anyone else in a while, she could be dead.” You replied bluntly, a combination of hunger and sleep deprivation making you forget about conversational rules.

“She’s not dead! Why would she be dead?”

“There’s things down here, monsters, they’re very good at killing.”

Both Dan and Yaz looked rather bewildered at your answers, though Yaz seemed to recover quicker.

“What’s your name?”

That question, that stupid question that everyone always asked!

Fed up of the useless question and answer session, you moved past the newcomers and started walking down one of the hallways. The sounds of footsteps behind you told you that Dan and Yaz had decided to follow.

“Look, we’re not trying to bother you, we’re just trying to find our friend and then we’ll go.” Yaz tried again, and you had to applaud her stubborn nature.

“Go? You can’t go anywhere, the only way out of this place is death.” You laughed a little at them, how hopeful they were.

“Luckily for us, our friend has a ship that can get us out of here - you could come too if you wanted.”

This made you pause where you were walking, turning around to face the strangers again. No one else had ever had a ship.

“Is your ship here? In this place?” Desperation was bleeding through your voice, but you didn’t care.

“Yes, it’s how we got here.”

You didn’t know how to react, all these years you had never had as much hope as you did in this moment. All of your thoughts were racing around your brain, though only one stood out.

“Koschei. Your friend, is her name Koschei?”

“Uh, no, her name’s The Doctor.”

Deflating slightly, you took a step back from the strangers, trying to ignore the twinge of sadness in your hearts. Even if this person wasn’t Koschei, she could still get you out of here, and maybe you could convince all of them to help you find Koschei.

“Alright, where did you last see her?”

———

Predictably, neither Dan nor Yaz remembered exactly where they had last seen their friend, which meant that you had all had to wonder around the corridors hoping you would find her. It had been about an hour since you started your search when you finally heard some noise in the distance. Picking up speed, you headed in the right direction, and you were met with the sight of another new person.

“Doctor!” Yaz called out enthusiastically, hurrying towards her friend.

Dan followed behind her as well, with a smile on his face. On the other hand, you were still being cautious, so you hung back while they all greeted each other.

“Ah! Yaz! Dan! There you two are, where did you wander off to?” The Doctor turned to greet her friends enthusiastically.

“We weren’t the ones who wandered off.” Dan pointed out, though The Doctor was distracted by your presence.

“Who’s your friend?”

“Uh, I don’t know actually - you never gave us your name.”

All three of them were looking at you now, clearly expecting you to give an answer. Unfortunately, you couldn’t just brush them off again, if they really did have a ship then you needed their help to get out of this place.

“I don’t know. Everyone else who has ever come here has had memories of a life before, but I don’t. I can’t remember anything about my life before, not even my name.”

The three of them gave you pitying looks that you did not appreciate. You’d had enough years to get used to the solemn fact, not that you didn’t hope everyday that you could get your memories back.

“But, you said a name before didn’t you? Kovu or something?” Dan pointed out.

“Koschei, it’s the only name I do remember, but somehow I know it’s not my name. Whoever Koschei is, I know they’re good, I’ve been hoping that they’d show up one day and help me escape.”

“Sorry, did you just say Koschei?” The Doctor asked, a curious look on her face.

“Do you know them?” Hope, again, bloomed in your hearts.

“How long have you been here?” The Doctor asked instead, ignoring your question.

“I stopped counting after the first century, but it’s probably been two centuries by now.”

“Y/N.”

As soon as The Doctor said that name, you knew it was yours. She was looking at you with such a sad look in her eyes, and you couldn’t help but wonder why. Whoever she was, she clearly knew you, and that meant she probably meant Koschei.

“That’s me right? That’s my name? You know me?” You took a step towards her, desperate for the answers she held.

“Yes, it is. Y/N, we thought you were dead. I mean I- I thought you were dead.”

“But, Koschei, who are they? Who are they to me? I can only remember them in my dreams, but I know that they mean a lot to me.”

The Doctor paused before answering, trying to figure out what to say to you.

“Y/N, I don’t know why you’ve lost your memories, but I need to know before I tell you anything.”

Theoretically, you understood. Memories, brains, minds, they could be tricky and intricate and so very easy to break. But you were so tired, and so close to answers, that you couldn’t help be frustrated with The Doctor.

“But it’s been 200 years! It’s been 200 fucking years and I just want answers! I need to know who they are, and I need to find them. Please just tell me something.” You were begging at this point, but you didn’t care.

All three strangers were looking at you with some of the saddest looks you had seen in a while, but you didn’t want their pity.

“Come on Doc, at least give them something,” Dan spoke with a soft voice, trying to urge her on.

“I can’t, I really can’t, but I promise I will find Koschei for you. Then him and I will do what we can to get your memories back, alright?” Luckily, she looked sincere enough that you believed her, nodding to show your agreement.

Before you could say anything else, you heard a familiar screech from a nearby hallway. You hated that noise.

“What was that?” Yaz asked.

“Danger, follow me.”

Then you took off running down the all to familiar hallways. You didn’t stop to check that the others were following you, hoping that they had the common sense to do so. Eventually, you made it back to the secluded alcove that lead to the bunker. Ducking in you let the three of them pass you before pushing the lose stone in the wall that caused the false wall to slide back in place. Not pausing to breath, you lead the three strangers down the hallway into the main area of the bunker.

This room had a few makeshift beds, as well as desks and your small stash of supplies. There were a few adjoining rooms, one of which you had claimed as your own, that were filled with similar items. The Doctor, Yaz and Dan started to look around the room while you moved into your own room, looking to see what food you had left over.

The Doctor followed you in not long after, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the hundreds of drawings littering the walls. They were all of Koschei, even if you were never able to get his exact facial features, you had drawn every version of them you could remember. She walked close to one of them, her fingers tracing over the drawing without actually touching it.

“These are beautiful.” She told you, a strange tone to her voice.

“Thanks, I can never quite remember their faces from my dreams, but I can get close.”

“He’d love them.”

You nodded, not trusting yourself to be able to say anything else without crying or yelling at her again. You hated that you were so close to getting everything you had been after for years, and yet so far at the same time.

“Y/N, what were we running from?”

“I don’t know, most of the time I only hear them. All I know is, when they make that sound, they’re out to hunt. There have been others here in the past, but they’ve all been killed by the thing - either by accident or willingly.” You did everything you could to avoid the creatures, and it helped that being here for 200 years meant that you knew the patterns.

“Do you know when it’ll be gone?”

“Three hours from now is normally when it gives up, might be a bit longer though if it smells you and your friends.”

“Alright, make sure you have anything you want to bring with you. We’ll leave to the TARDIS as soon as it’s safe.”

“How? Do you remember where you left it?”

“Nope, but I do have my sonic!” The Doctor pulled a silver object out of one of her pockets, seemingly very proud of whatever it was.

“What is that? Like a tracker?”

Her face fell at your question, clearly reminded of the fact that even if she knew you, you had no memory of her.

“Multi-purpose tool, but yeah, tracker works.” The Doctor gave you a half-hearted smile, before putting the device back in her pocket.

“Great, I’ll uh, gather some things together.”

Without being able to ask about your missing memories, you found you had little to talk about with The Doctor, leading to many awkward pauses from the both of you. Luckily, she didn’t try to make anymore conversation, and left your room with a nod of her head.

Looking around your room, you were unsure of what to take. You didn’t have much of sentimental value other than the drawings, and however much you wanted to take them all, you knew you wouldn’t be able to. The only other thing that you knew you definitely wanted to take was the remaining clothes you had turned up with.

It had been a long red robe, covering a blood orange shirt and trousers. The shirt had been torn many times, and you had cut the sleeves to a shorter length many years ago. The trousers were still in decent shape, though you had ‘borrowed’ a second pair from a long dead friend. You also had a black jacket that you wore over your shirt whenever it got cold, though that had been a gift.

You picked the robe up from its place on your bed. It was a soft material, and it was the first thing you grabbed for whenever you woke up in a cold sweat. As you held it in your hands you studied the intricate golden patterns woven into the fabric. You never knew the significance of them, whether they were simply beautiful patterns or whether they meant more. Maybe The Doctor would tell you.

———

The creature had left after three hours and forty-seven minutes. By then you had gathered your favourite drawings and your robe together, though you stayed in your room while you were waiting for the creature to leave. The few times that you had gone to the main room to check where the creature was by listening through the walls, The Doctor, Dan and Yaz had stopped their conversation nearly immediately.

It hurt that The Doctor was telling her friends all about you while you weren’t allowed to know, but you didn’t have the energy to confront her. Despite the fact that you had dreamt of leaving this place since you had arrived, you couldn’t help the fear and worry that plagued your mind. You had lived here for two hundred years, and it was literally all you knew. The only person who would have been able to give you some form of comfort wasn’t even there, and you felt a little betrayed at that.

Once you confirmed that the coast was definitely clear, you picked your things up from the ground and let the others know. The Doctor immediately pulled her sonic out of her pocket, and pressed a few buttons on the device. It lit up, though it only started to buzz when she faced in one direction. While you lead the way out of the bunker, The Doctor quickly took charge when you entered the main hallways.

The walk to her ship was quiet, the only noises that could be heard was the buzzing of The Doctor’s device and your collective footsteps against the tile floor. You had to resist looking back at several stages, knowing that if you did you might change your mind about leaving. For all you hated this place, you loved the familiarity and predictability of it. Now, following The Doctor and her friends to her ship, you were heading into the unknown. While The Doctor had promised to reunite you with Koschei, you had no guarantee that she would actually deliver on this promise. You also had no guarantee that whoever Koschei was would want to see you again, for all you knew they could have been the one to cause your memory loss.

As soon as you had that thought, you got rid of it, because it was a stupid thought. Somehow, despite whatever had happened to you, you knew that Koschei was safe and trustworthy. Somehow, despite every other memory of yours being wiped, that assurance still remained and it had to mean something.

Soon, the four of you rounded the corner and were met with a peculiar sight. There was a large blue box stood in the middle of a hallway, and for some reason you felt drawn to it. Without being fully aware of what you were doing, you walked slowly towards the box and reached out your hand. When you brushed the wood there was a strange sensation, and a strong wave of emotions, though they definitely weren’t your own emotions.

“It’s alive?” You asked, curious as to how a seemingly inanimate object could have a form of consciousness.

The Doctor’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at your comment, though her expression quickly changed to a more neutral one when she noticed you looking at her.

“Yep, this is my TARDIS, and she is very much alive.” The Doctor gave you a proud smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

With a click of her fingers, the door opened for The Doctor, causing you to flinch back slightly in surprise. Then you followed the three of them into the ship. There weren’t words to describe how beautiful she was, the combination of glowing crystal like structures and the seemingly everlasting consciousness you could feel wrapped around the entire structure caused you to gape as you looked around.

“She’s beautiful.” You told The Doctor, though your eyes were focused on examining the different parts of the ship.

“She’s showing off a tad, I think she missed you.”

“She knows me?”

“Yep, I’m pretty sure she’s the reason why I managed to find you. Back when you went missing, I set up a program to search for any traces of you across the universe. I was under the impression that it hadn’t worked, but actually I think it might have. The readings I got from that place were, unusual to say the least. I think she’s been looking for you all this time, it just took her a while to find you. Now that I think about it, I might also know why she managed to find you now.” The Doctor muttered the last part of her sentence to herself, though you heard it anyway.

Then The Doctor started dancing around the console with Yaz, pressing various buttons and pulling various levers, presumably preparing to take off. Looking over to Dan, you saw he was bracing himself against one of the pillars, so you decided to follow suit. You were glad you had when The Doctor pulled a final lever and the entire ship shook. Once the four of you were stable again, The Doctor pressed a few more buttons, nodded at a screen, and then headed over to you.

“Right, I’ve set the TARDIS to start scanning and sending out signals to see if she can find him. So, while she works on that I was planning to give you a scan in the medbay to try and find out how and why you lost your memories.” The Doctor was smiling at you again, but it still didn’t seem to reach her eyes.

You were starting to feel even more unsure about trusting her, and you glanced around the room looking for possible escape routes incase the need arrived. Then you felt the TARDIS in your mind again, sending you a comforting sensation that managed to calm you down before you properly started to panic.

“Okay, but you promise I’ll see Koschei again as soon as you find him?”

“Promise.”

With a nod you let her lead you further into the TARDIS, towards the medbay, Dan and Yaz followed the two of you as well.

The room you entered was all white or light grey, though there were gold linings on the walls. There were three beds on one side of the room, and various pieces of equipment on the other side. The Doctor headed over to the equipment, telling you to sit up on one of the beds. You gently placed down your drawings and robe on a nearby chair, before doing as she asked. Yaz was hovering by The Doctor, occasionally holding items that were held out to her, while Dan was leaning against the wall closest to the door.

You watched closely as The Doctor started fiddling around with various bits of machinery, and you tried to calm your nerves. Finally, she clicked a few final buttons and stepped back from the apparatus that she had rigged up.

“There we go! Right, this machine is going to help the TARDIS give you a full scan, all you need to do is lie down and rest - it should take about an hour. In the mean time, Yaz and I’ll go and see if I can find The- Koschei. Dan’ll stay here though, so if you need anything just let him know.”

You settled back on the bed, honestly grateful for the chance to rest, feeling a wave of tiredness fall over you. Out of the corner of your eye you could see The Doctor say something quietly to Dan before she and Yaz left the room. You didn’t take the time to dwell on it though, as you felt your eyes slide shut as you started to fall asleep. The last thought you had before you finally lost consciousness was that you hoped Koschei would be there when you woke up.

[sessa23]

Revelations: Part 2 (Thirteenth!Doctor x Dhawan!master x reader)

(Summary: The Doctor comes back after her search for answers hits a dead end. She decides to take you all to a spa retreat for a break, she notices that you are not yourself. Meanwhile the master finds a new lead in his search for answers.)

(Warnings: Mentions of Hypnosis)

(Author's notes: Hey guys, part two of this story. I hope you enjoy. There are plenty of surprises which will happen along the way as the story continues)

There was a knock at your door, you put down your drink and got up from your chair and looked though the peephole in your door. Yaz, Ryan and Graham were standing there. "Hey guys come in." You replied as you opened the door as the three of them walked in.

"So how are you all?" You asked as they all sat down "we are good, we just came to see you." Graham replied as he sat on a chair. "Can I get you guys a drink, something to eat?" You offered but they all shook their heads. "Have you guys heard from the Doctor?" You asked.

Ryan shook his head "not since she went to look for the Master." When Ryan said about the master, you looked up. you wanted to tell them about what happened with the master but the words couldn't even form in your mouth. "Damn it" You muttered. "Are you okay Y/N" Yaz asked, you turned to her and nodded "yes I'm fine." Suddenly you all heard the wheezing and groaning of the doctor's TARDIS, her TARDIS appeared in your living room.

"Hiya fam" The Doctor declared as she came out of the TARDIS. Yaz had a smile form on her face "Doctor." "Did you find what you were looking for?" Ryan asked, the Doctor's face fell as she shook her head "No, I didn't find the Master."

You wanted to tell the Doctor that you had encountered the master but again, the words failed to form in your mouth. "Damn Hypnosis." You thought to yourself, the Doctor clapped her hands together "okay fam, let's go for a trip. I know a planet which has an amazing spa retreat which we can go to. You nodded "hell yeah im in." Goodness knows that you needed a break and to get the master off your mind.

Ryan looked at Yaz "we all need a relaxing trip." Yaz nodded in agreement, the doctor opened the door and you all walked in however yaz waited until you had all gone in before she turned to the Doctor "Doctor, Y/N is acting strange." Yaz whispered The Doctor nodded "yes, I noticed that too. We should talk with them." The two of them walked into the TARDIS, The Doctor closed the doors of the TARDIS as went over to the console.

After the TARDIS took off, The Doctor came over too you "Y/N is everything okay?" She asked "Oh yes just fricking grand. I've had an alien psychopath threaten to murder the students in my class and then i've been hypnotised said alien psychopath who tried to kill me the week before to not reveal that I saw them." You thought to yourself but you took a breath "I'm fine...im just tired, been grading lots of assignments. Also we've all been worried about you. Yaz especially." You spoke.

Yaz looked on as she heard you talking to the doctor, she was not convinced that you were "just tired", she had a feeling that you were hiding something. While the TARDIS was travelling though the time vortex you decided to lay down on the sofa in the console room. You felt safe being around the doctor and your friends, you soon felt your eyes grow heavy and before you knew it your eyes closed.

Meanwhile, the master's search for answers lead him an unknown planet, after consulting some of the knowledge he stole from Galifrey. He entered the coordinates and pulled down the lever, his TARDIS disappeared into the time vortex. It wasn't long before he arrived on the planet. He adjusted this jacket and grabbed his TCE before he walked out of the TARDIS.

He spotted a building in the distance, "now what were the high council hiding here..." he trailed before he walked towards the building, as he approached, he noticed that it resembled a temple. The moment he arrived at the temple entrance he noticed that two guards were standing there "Welcome, timelord. We've been expecting you. Welcome to Xanadu." One of them spoke

[confusedhalfofthetime]

Hey how are you? I would like to make a Dhawan!master x reader request. The Master has captured the reader, the reader expresses displeasure. the master challenges the reader to say one nice thing about him. Maybe the reader says how the master has nice eyes he would end up hypnotising the reader. Maybe even using the old "I am the master and you will obey me."

Hey :) I'm good thank you and thank you so much for your ask. I wasn't sure if you wanted something more smutty so I kept it pretty clean, just to be sure. I hope you like it!

Warnings: none, tho things get kinda heated at some point but nothing major.

When you woke up this morning, for a few seconds you forgot all about the previous day. You expected to be met by the usual four walls of your room but instead, you opened your eyes to a dark purple ceiling and a matching wallpaper. Your head was pounding hard and you pressed your hand against your forehead.

Glimpses of the day before flashed in your mind. It had started like such a normal day.

You had woken up in your house, run your usual errands, gone to work. Then the Doctor had called you, a not so rare occurrence these days. You weren't exactly a companion of hers, not like Graham, Yas and Ryan, but you joined the group from time to time. You liked it that way, your independence was sacred but you still mostly agreed to follow the Doctor whenever she asked. You were old friends and apart from that special bond between you, you had contacts with Torchwood, having worked there for quite a few years.

That day, you had followed the Doctor to a distant galaxy. "A small adventure" she had called it and you had smiled, blissfully unaware of what the future had in store for you. Or rather, who.

The Master was an old enemy of the Doctor, as old as time some might say.

You had only met him once when he had pretended to be the special agent O. That time, finding out the truth about him had felt like a slap right in the face. You didn't want to admit it, but you felt a sort of connection between you two. But of course, that was before he revealed his true self. You wouldn't have felt like that if you knew he was the Master. Right?

You hadn't met him since. Until yesterday.

While you were visiting the strange planet, filled with tall futuristic buildings and even taller trees of the oddest of colours, the Master had appeared. He was wearing purple clothes, just like the last time and you wondered whether he had skipped the timeline right to this moment. When his eyes found you, his devilish smirk made you shiver.

-Y/n! No time no see- he had exclaimed taking a step toward you. The Doctor had placed herself in front of you protectively. The Master had tilted his head, unimpressed.

-What? Can't I see hi to an old friend? -

-You're not friends- the Doctor had replied with a stone-cold expression.

The Master didn't like that. He had smiled again.

-Then I think we should change that-

At that, he had taken out his TCE and aimed it toward the Doctor. She had ducked out of the way and you had taken a step back. Then suddenly, you had heard the sound of a Tardis materialising around you.

And that's how the Master had kidnapped you. Your guess was you would be used as bait or to blackmail the Doctor. That would be the only logical explanation as to why the Master hadn't killed you yet or tried to hurt you. Considering the attitude you had toward him, you expected to be tidied up at least. Instead, he had even given you a room to sleep in.

That wouldn't change how you felt toward him, of course. He was a murderer, a psychopath and the Doctor's worst enemy. You despised him. Of course, you did, why wouldn't you? He had kidnapped you, for crying out loud!

Before you could find yourself drowning in your thoughts, you decided to get out of bed. Besides, what good would it do staying locked away in that room? You would just end up starving.

You walked inside the console room of the TARDIS, suspiciously looking around, expecting to see the Master and his maniac smile appear out of nowhere. The room was a bit messy and it would have looked cosy if it weren't for the creepy dim lights. You supposed it would be a good metaphor for the Master. He looked like a normal person, handsome even if it weren't for that light in his eyes. Or lack thereof.

You were brought back to reality by the Master's figure. He was half-hidden by the long tube which connected the ceiling to the console of the TARDIS and he was bent over it. He looked very focused on whatever he was doing. A lock of dark hair was slightly falling on his forehead and he slicked it back passing his hand through it. You felt your heart skip a beat at the sight. He really was handsome.

"Oh hell no" the logical voice in your head screamed. You could not be making thoughts like that.

Right then, the Master looked up from the console. When he saw you, he smiled. That smile still gave you the chills.

-Good, you're awake. Did you like your room? - he asked.

You cleared your throat, hoping your voice wouldn't betray you.

-You mean my cage-

The Master smirked.

-If that was your cage you wouldn't be free to walk around my TARDIS-

-But I'm not free to leave your TARDIS, am I? -

The Master pressed a few buttons on the console, which emitted a couple of low pitched "beeps".

-I fear not- he replied.

You huffed and rolled your eyes.

-Besides, why would you leave? We just got here-

-You kidnapped me-

-Technicalities-

You were speechless. He was so nonchalant about the whole situation.

-So what, you just keep me here until the Doctor finds you? - you asked crossing your arms.

-Oh no- he said walking toward you, his hands in his pockets. -Until I decide to let her know where I am-

You look at him with a raised brow.

-You're really sure of yourself, aren't you? -

The Master shrugged.

-I have good reasons to- he said winking.

You looked down at your feet, hoping you weren't blushing.

-Besides, I thought we had a pretty good connection- he said walking back to the console.

-I don't know what you're talking about- but you did. And the Master knew it.

-Oh come on, don't tell me you already forgot about O-

-I never met agent O, I only met you-

The Master smirked. God, how you hated that smirk. The way the corner of his red lips curled upwards and- no. Absolutely not.

-Exactly. And it seemed to me you quite enjoyed our time spent together- he said pointing his finger toward you.

You shook your head. -You're delusional-

-Yeah but I also have flaws-

You almost laughed at that and he seemed to notice.

-Come on, you're not even giving me a chance here-

-A chance? You're a maniac who killed thousands of people, what more do I need to know? -

The Master looked up, pretending to think about it.

-My favourite colour? -

He was unbelievable.

-I think I figured that out- you said pointing at his purple outfit.

He laughed. -Touches-

-Besides, why would you want me to know you? Actually, why did you even kidnap me in the first place? - you asked, genuinely curious.

The Master leaned against the consol and crossed his arms.

-The Doctor always cared so much for his pets...- he scratched his chin.

You clenched your jaw.

-I'm not a pet-

-Exactly! - he said clapping his hands and pushing himself away from the console.

-That's why I chose you. You're not like the others, you're independent, you're clever- he said getting closer and closer, until the space between you was definitely not enough. -...and you have a smart little mouth- he said brushing his finger lightly against the corner of your lips. A feather touch that threatened to make your eyes flutter.

The Master smiled. -I had to choose someone I could stand to spend my time with. Can you imagine how annoying anyone else would have been? -

You were almost flattered at that, even though he just called your friends annoying.

-So what? You felt...lonely? - you asked while he intently looked at you. It was like he was trying to memorize your features, his dark, deep eyes had a way of making you feel like he was staring deep inside your very soul.

He chuckled, although you couldn't help but feel like he was forcing it. -Oh darling don't flatter yourself too much-

-It looks like you're doing that enough- you replied.

He stared at you in silence for a few seconds. Then he smiled.

-You'll like it here- he said turning his back. You scoffed. You hated the way he assumed it, so easily, like you would ever like to be held hostage by him.

-I don't think so- you said bitterly.

The Master turned to look at you once again.

-Why not? Cause I'm a murderer and a psychopath? - He said, walking with his arms behind his back. You noticed his hands clenching and unclenching.

-You could say that- you said crossing your arms over your chest again. -And you're the arch enemy of my friend-

The Master scoffed. -Yeah, your precious Doctor-

He had gotten really close, again.

-We were friends too, once. Did you know that? -

You did, the Doctor had told you, but he had never elaborated much on it and you had assumed it'd be best not to ask.

However, you didn't reply.

After a few more moments of silence in which you felt the pressure of his stare on you, the Master spoke again.

-You hate me that much, uh? -

-It would be wrong not to- you said holding his gaze.

-Why? Cause the Doctor told you to? I expected more of you! You don't strike me like the person who follows the group, who bases his opinion on what others say- now he seemed slightly irritated but he was trying to conceal it.

You clenched your jaw. It was like he already knew what buttons to push.

-I'm not, I just generally don't like murderers-

-And the Doctor is not a murderer? -

You fell silent, averting your gaze.

The Master tilted his head to meet your eyes again.

-Come on, let's play a game- he said. His gaze was darker now, which unsettled you slightly. -I challenge you to find one thing you like about me-

-Why should I? -

-Well, since we're gonna have to spend some time together, might as well-

You shook your head and looked away.

-Nothing? Come on, anything at all- he said opening his arms and turning on himself in a performative manner. You looked him over.

-I guess...one could say...you have nice eyes...or whatever-

The Master smiled. -Oh you like my eyes? -

You shrugged. Then, you felt his hand cupping your chin.

When your eyes met his, you felt like a strange force pulling you toward him. You felt a sensation similar to when your eyes were unfocused, you felt relaxed, and the only thing you could see clearly were his eyes.

-You think you know everything-

His voice came out like a far away sound, which echoed in your head. You tried to fight back but your body didn't move.

-You'll find that won't help, my dear-

You felt his hand caress your cheek and you almost leaned into the touch. His hand was cold.

-If you're gonna stay here, which you are, you're gonna have to know a few things- he said. -The first of these things is...- he leaned in and you felt his warm breath against your ear. -That I am the master, and you will obey me-

You felt shivers running down your back but you still couldn't move, no matter how hard you tried.

-No no no,- he warned. -I told you, it's useless- he kept caressing your cheek, slowly, speaking in a low voice. -I can make you do anything right now-

That thought scared you and deep down, it excited you. And you hated it.

-For example- a pause. -Kneel-

Before you knew it, you were kneeling in front of him, slowly but surely. You felt your knees softly hit the dusty floor but your gaze was still locked on his.

The Master smiled smugly. His hand cupped your chin again.

-See? Easy- he let go of your chin roughly and walked away. You felt his power on you suddenly disappear. You fell on your hands, breathing heavily like you had just been kept underwater.

-Don't play with me Y/n, you're gonna lose-

[plethora-of-imagines]

Could you do something with Alpha!Dh!Master x Omega!Reader? I loved the one you did with Delgado!Master and something with Dhawan!Master would be so cute. I don’t mind if it’s smutty or not, just feel free to do what you want!

Freezing at the creak of the door you begged the TARDIS to distract the Master. It would be miserable to get caught now! The teasing would be relentless, if he didn’t just berate you without thinking first. 

You had already stolen so many of his things, what was one more item?

The TARDIS decided to be merciful to you today and her gentle groans tempted the Master further away from the door. For a few precious moments you were distracted by his bare forearms. The dark dress shirt sleeves rolled up with care to show such sinful amounts of arm. You had to hold back the instinctual purr that threatened to pass your lips. Biting down on your lower lip, the pressure allowed you to pull your attention away from the Master. 

Not too far into the console room the Master has discarded his typical purple jacket. Sneaking glances back at the Master- still distracted by the TARDIS’s manipulations- you quietly rushed to steal the jacket from the armchair it had been discarded on. Rushing back out of the console room and down the hall with your prize, shoved the jacket into your face happily. Inhaling the wonderful smell of the Master.

Taking pity on your overwhelmed, and now wobbly body- the TARDIS moved the door to your room closer. Only a few more steps before you were safely in your room again.

Crawling into your bed you curled up content, the soft fabric of the jacket still pressed against your face. Consumed with the daydreams of pressing your face into the Master’s chest, you began to purr. Pulling the jacket away with reluctance you moved to put it on properly. Feeling as if the Master had his arms around you, your instincts receded enough for you to look around your makeshift nest to see what it was made out of.

Of course there were several blankets making a foot tall wall around your bed, somewhat smushed from your crawling into the bed. Scattered throughout the nest were dozens of the Master’s shirts, clean but still smelling like him faintly. Nervously you realized that you must have stolen all of these shirts from his room. Which meant that the moment he entered his room he would smell you, all omega and pre-heat. Worried. Your mind was worried beyond belief that he would be upset with you for stealing and taking the liberty to assume that he would allow his scent to be added to your nest. It was a subtle claim that would last longer than the few days you were slick and needy. His shirts, and now his jacket too, would smell of you! While you were a little worried about his reaction, the idea now that your mind had recognized it satisfied a deep part of you. Yearning deep inside of you, you desperately wanted his scent to be entangled with yours, covering both of you.

Jumping and almost falling out of the nest as the door to your room suddenly opened with no warning.

“Hmm so this is what you’re doing with my jacket. Being the cutest per-heat omega in all the universe.”

Slowly he waltzed over to the side of your bed, confidence and alpha ego dripping off of him in waves that left you dizzy. Head falling to the side as your body went limp as he stared down at you. Small whines that gradually got louder left your lips instinctually. Why was he not climbing into the nest with you already? You had already made it clear that you wanted him there by covering your nest in this clothes and scent.

He looked down at you so fondly. Eventually you realized what it was that the Master was waiting for. He wanted you to ask him directly to join you. It melted your heart and body even more to know that he wanted to make sure you fully consented.

“Please Master,” you murmured.

“Please what, little omega?” He teased with a lighthearted smirk. 

It was the softest expression you had ever seen on him, it looked out of place in the situation. Most alphas would have a sinful smirk, knowing that being invited to a pre-heat nest meant almost certainly getting to stay for the duration. But he looked so, so overjoyed and softly pleased to be trusted by you.

“Join me,” you whispered knowing he would be able to hear you no matter how quiet your words.

Climbing in beside you, the Master gently pulled you into his arms. Nose nuzzling against your collarbone. Finally you gave in to your desire to purr, letting the noise ebb and flow as you let your contentedness grow and settle. Limp you enjoyed being scented, you had no further need for anything else now. Not with him here holding you.

(804 words)

[colderthancoldest]

The Perfection in Imperfection

Read on Ao3 Here!

Summary: It's the heist of the century- the 61rd century to be exact-

Or at least it WOULD have been if everything hadn't gone terribly wrong.

It feels like this is all your fault, however the Master knows there are more important things than a scheme going according to plan.

Prompt: "You hate me for that." "I don't hate you."

Pairing: Dhawan!Master x Reader

Rating: G

Word Count: ~3k

Other: fluff, emotion hurt comfort, hugs, wholesome, this was a request

(I hope this formats okay. Just tell me if it doesn’t lol) Enjoy <3

~~~~~

Days- weeks- of planning, preparation, reconnaissance, and every other synonym under the sun- all lead up to this moment.

It's a scheme like no other. A scheme involving a crashing government bringing the planet to a grinding halt as a distraction from what would be the greatest scheme of the 61st century.

Or, more accurately, what would have been.

It had taken ages to set up every detail just right. To calculate the change of guards on the craft you're about to help rob amidst all the chaos, to collect all the right keycards and make it through the security doors, to arrange the right uniforms and covers and information.

And at the last second-

You choked.

You were inside. Everything was going swimmingly. The military ship of riches and highly coveted intel galore was nearly within your grasp.

You only needed to flip a few switches to unlock a door for the others on your team when-

"What are you doing?" someone stops you forcefully.

The voice belongs to a guard. An armed guard.

There wasn't supposed to be anyone else down here in the massive ship's tiny radio room. You and the Master have combed over every detail of this elaborate scheme.

No one else is supposed to be here.

You freeze. You should be prepared to lie- but your mind is too caught up in following the pre-arranged series of events to remember what you're supposed to say if reality deviates from the script.

"Ch-Checking the- What's it called?" you fumble.

The guard immediately hits the alarm. It's sharp, and quick, and their angry military-taught voice threatens you harshly.

You're too afraid to move.

Just like that, it's all over.

You didn't realize the world could crumble so fast.

The team assembled to pull off this job shatters before they're meant to, each racing away out of self preservation. A few get away with a small handful of the many treasures, but you're no longer able to steal the entire ship from under the captain's nose as you had planned to. It's a mad scramble as everyone retreats before they can be taken alive.

They run- and you barely evade capture yourself- and suddenly it's over.

 When you get back to the Master's Tardis, he's already throwing a fit. The whole arrangement is in tatters, months of preparation gone. He has nothing to show for it and his momentary allies will certainly remember this failure.

He shoves all his carefully arranged papers off a nearby table. The blueprints and discarded replicas of security badges crash loudly to the floor. He paces about the main room as he attempts to rationalize what happened.

"Ages of compiling all of this- and not a gemstone to show for it! This is the last time we pull together a crew! I should have known we were better off doing this ourselves! This is unbelievable-" he shouts to the open air.

You simply look to the floor.

"It's my fault," you say quietly.

He spins on his heel to look at you. His head tilts, and he takes a step towards you.

"How?" he asks sharply.

He never talks to you that sharply, he never snaps at you the way he snaps at other people- but he does today.

You rub your arm with one hand.

"I... choked," you confess. "Someone was there that shouldn't have been there and... And I froze."

You immediately regret saying that. It's no excuse. It's not even a good explanation.

All this time traveling, and this is what messes you up? It's pathetic. This is entirely on you and you know it.

"You-" the Master nearly begins to shout- and then abruptly stops.

You don't have the nerve to look at him as he marches away. You keep your eyes on the floor and do your best not to show how heavy the guilt is.

It feels like you're standing there forever as the Master reaches for one of the papers littered about on the floor and picks it up.

He then trails off down one of the halls. You flinch a little as you hear him yell in the distance and the echo rings down the long halls.

You're not certain what to do as you wait. You're not certain what to do at all. You're still in shock that this could all fall apart so quickly. You aren't sure what to do next.

You wait, and eventually he comes back. He's grumbling to himself as he makes a lap about the main room.

"I can't believe this. I thought I had accounted for everything! I should have prepared for the unpredictable. Maybe I should have sent in someone else-" his harsh tone hisses to himself.

You suddenly interrupt.

"I know! Okay?" You nearly yell, tears brimming in your eyes, "I know I messed up! I know you must hate me for it-"

The Master turns to you, and something new is on his face. His brows press together somewhere between surprise and confusion. He marches briskly over to where you're standing halfway between the center of the room and the front doors.

You lift your head to face him, and stare him down boldly even as tears splash down from your eyes. They fall silently as you stand your ground.

"Just please, don't yell at me," you request firmly. "Whatever you have to say, I already know. I'm well aware that I messed this up."

His expression twists again.

You flinch as he raises a hand, an old fearful reaction, but he simply presses his palm carefully to your jaw and brushes away your tears with his thumb.

"I don't hate you," he says softly.

His eyes flicker all over your face as he examines you and waits for his words to sink in. He waits for you to believe that they're true.

You stare into his caring, concerned, and worried eyes and you slowly realize that you do believe him.

"I could never hate you," he says gently.

He takes a deep breath and forces himself to calm down. He shakes his head in dismay and looks to the paper in his other hand for a moment before he lifts his eyes to meet yours.

"I only meant that I should have accounted for there being strays about the ship. I should have taken unforeseen circumstances into account, and sent in one of the mercenaries ahead of us to check that the coast was clear.

I'm only angry that I should have been more thorough. This isn't on you."

You shake your own head, now more insistent.

"But it is. I should have known what to do.

But the guard was armed and I- I was scared-"

The Master discards the paper immediately. It floats lazily to the floor somewhere to the side. The Master instead moves his hands to your shoulders, his entire focus on you and you alone. In a second, he's already forgotten all about the failed theft.

"They threatened you?! Are you alright?!" he questions. His voice is gentle, but firm. He's clearly far more angry about the prospect of someone hurting you than anything else.

You chuckle a little and brush away another stray tear with the back of your hand.

"Yeah," you force a smile. It's always nice to know he cares.

"Of course I am. I'm just sorry I messed up the mission."

"It's not your fault," he assures you unequivocally. "You couldn't have known. We'll be more prepared next time," he promises wholeheartedly.

You give a small nod. "Right."

He flashes a reassuring smile, but there's still worry in his eyes. He pauses for a brief moment to think it over.

Then he suddenly grins.

"I have an idea," he promises, his eyes lighting up dangerously.

His usual energy comes flooding back and you can't not laugh at the way he's beaming away.

"Plan B. How about we enact Plan B?" he askes playfully.

"What's plan B?" you chuckle.

He's doing this on purpose, to cheer you up. You can see it in the way he acts and the way he peppers in that dramatic little swing to his voice.

"Plan B is my favorite anyway," he grins. "It's a way to get half the loot and revenge- all in one swoop! Plus the light show."

"Light show?" you chuckle.

He only grins. It's clearly exactly what he wanted you to ask.

The Master takes your hand, carefully, and only moves once he feels you squeeze his hand in return.

"Enough Ocean's 11- let's take the easy way out and call it a day."

 It's night. The next night.

The Master wound time forward to this moment for a very special reason.

The massive, reinforced tank of a cruise liner is floating innocently beside the docks.

Nearly everyone has gone home for the night and the ship is locked up tight. The only guards are the ones watching down from nearby spotlight towers.

You take a seat at the doorway of the disguised Tardis, and the Master soon joins you. The Tardis is hovering in the air a safe distance away, overlooking it all.

The Master offers you a remote. It's black with a large clear case overtop, covering the large buttons.

"What does this do?" you ask curiously as you take the remote. You turn the cold metal and glass around in your hands.

"Harmless revenge for one. But a means to complete our mission for another."

He waves a hand at the large red button.

"Feel free to do the honors," he insists warmly.

Knowing him, you already have an idea of what the button will do.

You look down at the massive ship floating below- and press it anyways.

The craft erupts in a fiery explosion fit for an action film. No expense is spared as a ball of flames is shot into the sky and bits of the ship are launched in every direction.

Whatever smoldering chunks of metal are left quickly begin to sink off the edge of the dock. Soon, there's barely anything left above water to see.

You grin.

There is something quite satisfying about erasing your mistake like this. Getting rid of it so completely feels like closure.

You realize you're chuckling and the Master watches you, rather than the explosion, as he smiles. You laugh even more as you realize he's watching you with deeply love-struck eyes.

"What?" You ask.

His gaze flickers away now that your eyes are on him, but his expression doesn't change.

"Nothing," he decides.

He quickly stands up and offers you a hand.

"Let's go get what we came for."

 He takes the Tardis to the ocean floor.

It's not terribly deep where the ship has sunk, but it's depths to which any diver would need an oxygen tank to survive the return trip.

Luckily for you, the Master expands the Tardis shielding to push away the water in the surrounding area. He clears a bubble of air around his Tardis and the water floods away from the nearby wreckage.

It's strange and beautiful beyond belief- to step out onto the sandy ocean floor and look up to see the moonlight sparkling down through the depths as the fish around you continue on their way without a care in the world.

You walk out, unafraid despite the millions of buckets of water suspended overhead.

It's beautiful. Like walking through an aquarium tunnel in the night.

It's easy to forget your fears now that they've quite literally gone down in flames and you're left standing in the beauty of a quiet night under the sea.

"Do you like it? It's a simple enough trick," the Master chuckles.

He strays after you now that the shielding is safely in place.

You beam a bright smile.

"I do. It's beautiful," you reply.

He smiles that soft little grin again, so gentle and bursting with love. It's a good look on him.

He finally tears his eyes away from you as you both approach the wreckage.

The force of the explosion has damaged the usually-impenetrable safes that had been hauling the highest valued items. Uncut gemstones and cases upon cases of nearly-priceless jewelry fall open across the ocean floor.

You pick up a crown among the wreckage and pull as many strings of red and green gemstones over your neck as you can carry. Every time you think that's all, there's more.

There's bags pouring open of partially-melted coins of gold and copper and platinum.

You happily pick up as many as you can carry until your pockets are filled and you're covered in enough jewelry that it's weighing down your shoulders.

You return to see that the Master's been doing the same. You laugh warmly at the sight of him- in 5 different tiaras, strings and strings of pearls draped over him, and multiple diamond rings on every finger.

He turns to the sound of your voice, and laughs warmly at you in return.

"Your highness," he jests with a small bow. One of many tiaras falls off his head.

"Your highness," you joke playfully in return with a duck of your head.

You both look like little kids playing dress up, but it doesn't matter. Nothing went as scripted, but you wouldn't exchange that moment for any other.

You pick up the tiara that fell from the damp ocean sand and return it to the others that sit atop the Master's dark, wavy hair. He laughs as you fit it into place among the several others of its kind.

"It's a good look on you," you comment cheerfully.

And there he goes again. Beaming away at you like you're more beautiful than the bright night sky overhead.

"Maybe we should crash a masquerade next, dressed in all this," he jokes. "Or perhaps a famous royal wedding."

You take his hands and spin him about on your heels.

"Maybe we should become royalty next!" you suggest.

He grins, countless ideas flashing behind those sharp eyes of his.

"I like the way you think," he grins.

You laugh and joke about the treasures as the two of you haul your latest loot back to the Tardis. It takes a bit of time to go through the wreckage of the sunken ship's storage room and pry out as many half-melted bars of precious metals as you can; but metal is metal and you'll still be able to make a pretty penny off of the haul.

It takes time, but you don't mind in the slightest. You have all the time in the universe to spend together.

 Once you're finally done, you both head back for the Tardis.

You're halfway there, still standing in the moonlight streaming in through the waters overhead, when you pause.

"Wait a second," you request.

The Master stops and immediately turns to you. The moonlight through water dances over his shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asks at your nervous expression.

You only give a reassuring smile.

"Nothing's wrong," you promise. "It's just... this whole thing," you begin to explain.

He pauses and watches you thoughtfully. He can be harsh and jagged at times, but he always tries to be his best self with you. You always appreciate it.

"I just... wanted to say thank you. I know things didn't go as planned, and that I messed it up, but...

You didn't hold it against me. You found a way around it. And I've had a wonderful time with you.

I... don't think there's many people who would have handled this so well and I-

Thank you."

He looks a bit perplexed for a moment, and then he looks... almost... sad.

He steps closer and you move in to hug him. He hugs you tightly in return, almost as if he's trying to make sure you feel safe- almost as if he's trying to protect you.

"I've been the person who's messed up," he explains quietly and simply. "And it just happens. Sometimes through no fault of your own.

That's just the way of the world, to mess up, and I know what that's like to feel like a failure because you made one mistake in an otherwise perfect plan.

That guilt is a terrible thing- and I would never want you to feel that way because of me."

He pulls away from the hug, but stays close. His voice is gentle.

"So we didn't get away with the whole ship. So what? We got enough of what we came for and made the most of it.

All you can do is adapt to the new situation," he explains thoughtfully.

"People who expect perfection... they're never happy and all they do is hurt others when things fail to meet their expectations. So forget all of that. I won't be one of those people."

You give him a moment to settle down, and then hug him again. You bury your face in his shoulder.

"That's quite profound of you," you half-joke.

He smirks.

"Shut up."

There's a brief pause.

"Plus, now we don't have to share the loot," he observes.

You chuckle. That sounds much more like him.

 After a little while of laying on the Tardis floor among the piles of precious metals and gemstones, the Master decides the pair of you should get to have a bit of fun with the treasures of your mostly-successful heist.

You break into a famous celebration full of 23rd century royalty on some distant planet and pretend to be visiting rulers of a far off kingdom.

You dance the evening away- and get involved in a messy barfight when someone calls your bluff.

However, you quickly realize; it's all okay- even as you run, hand in hand, for your lives.

Sometimes this is just the way things go; and it's all perfectly imperfect as long as you're facing it together.

(Please Comment or Kudos on Ao3! Link here)

(More Dhawan!Master x Reader fics here) :)

[13atoms]

Masterlist: Dhawan!Master x Reader

All Masterlists 🌍

I Can Feel You Breathe (AO3) - Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Smut, All of it.

Buzz (AO3) - Clingy!Master, Smut

Time Apart (AO3) - Phone sex, Smut

Call Me Koschei (AO3) - First time, Smut

Biological Imperative aka ‘Love Languages’ (AO3) - Unconventional Smut, Service Dom!Master

Yes, Mistress - Trying to dom O until The Master breaks character-bs

Hugger (AO3) - Fluff

I’m Not Mad - Fear / Comfort / Admitting Feelings

Protective - Comfort, Protective!Master

New Territory - First Time, Inexperienced!Reader

Family - Meeting the family shenanigans, Cheeky!Master

Daughter (short) - the-master-reacting-to-having-a-daughter and all that good stuff

Good Girl - smut, the best thing ive written for Dh!Master, hypnosis.

Rules - heaaavy smut, orgasm denial, cheeky!master

Nesting - Cheetah Virus smut, with a great part 2 here!

Co-ordinates - rescuing an injured Master

Anything You Want - The Master comforts an insecure MC

Expiration Date - comfort, married arguing, fluff, half-hearted smut

Mirror - telling The Master he’s pretty, fluff

Cuddling (short) - fluff, talking-in-bed

Sleeping - The Master wishes his human didn’t sleep as much. [Short]

Kidnapped - The Doctor realises The Master’s companion doesn’t want saving.

Rolled Up Sleeves - The Master’s forearms are very popular. [Short]

Old Married Couple - Bickering almost gets too far. Almost.

Telepathy Practice - Bit of angst, a healthy dose of comfort

Tricks - MC feels insecure about being inexperienced

Aurora - 13 + the fam meet a very familiar looking baby. The Master catches on.

Painkillers - period cramps comfort indulgent fic time

Dom - the Master notices his partner has... less than vanilla taste [implied smut]

Centuries Apart & Sequel: Centuries Together - Chameleon-Circuit-ed companion

Cyberium -  Post-Timeless Children, 2.8k [fluff, angst]

Slippery Fingers - spa planet, massage, very nsfw, 8k

New Earth: No Trespassing - Pyschografts, angst, and comfort. 2k

An Archaeologist and Two Jealous Hearts - nsfw, protective Master, jealousy [fave] [5.5k]

An Artifice in Silver (AO3) parts 1 & 2 - co-written with the incredibly talented @wonders-of-the-multiverse [angst, fluff. 17k total]

Criminally Matched [1.8k, cellmates, flirting]