Lost Chances
Lost Chances
By: Memory Dragon
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, nor do I make any claim to.
Characters: Ninth Doctor/Delgado Master
Warnings: A lot of angst and some foreplay, but the sex is cut off before it gets descriptive.
Original Prompt: "Three never fucked Delgado!Master, and the Doctor's always regretted it."
Because there are many many fics with the Master pining for a former Doctor (my own included) but very few going the other way around. Can I get an older Doctor (preferably Six or Seven) going back to harass Delgado!Master and make up for Three?
Notes: Written for the best_enemies anon meme. Original can be found here. Also, it's Nine and not Six or Seven... Sadly, I've not seen enough serials of either of them to really attempt writing them yet.
Thanks: Many thanks to my beta, narwhale_callin. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, even if I do have a perchance for choking characters. <3
~
"You're not supposed to be here!" a rough voice shouted in his ear as a calloused hand spun the Master around.
He'd been shopping for an adjudicator uniform in the 25th century for his latest plot when this... thug grabbed his shoulder. He eyed the idiot warily, taking in the leather jacket and big ears dispassionately. There was something oddly familiar about this person, but the Master didn't have the time to deal with idiots right now, familiar or not. He had a weapon of mass destruction to track down. "I'll overlook your rudeness since I have other things to do. You'll find it's in your best interest to unhand me."
"So that's in my best interest?" the thug asked in a thick northern accent. It certainly didn't help him sound any more intelligent than he was acting. "Is that right? Why would I want to do that?"
The idiot was even stupider than he looked, which was an accomplishment all things considered. "I am the Master and you will obey me. Now let go," the Master said, putting the hypnotic suggestion behind the words.
He found himself being shoved against the wall of the uniform surplus store; his head knocked against the brick. He hissed as he felt a hand start to crush his windpipe. Intelligence levels didn't always dampen a human's ability to kill, the Master remembered.
"Doesn't work on me," the man said. "Don't you ever try that on me. What are you doing here?"
The Master struggled, one hand pulling at the thug's hands around his throat and the other reaching out to a pressure point in the man's neck. This was no ordinary ape, however, and the Master found that his attempts were blocked easily as the human removed one hand and kept the other tight around the Master's neck. The thug focused more on crushing than actually strangling, and it was just as, if not more, effective.
The Master looked around desperately, because surely someone would see this and help him. They were in the middle of a crowded street next to an open shop, and there had to be police nearby. "Isn't that a shame?" the man said as the Master realized no one was even looking at them. "Looks like they can't see us through the time distortion you've somehow managed to create. Lucky for me, though. Now, why don't you tell me how you got here, 'cause I just created this time lock and I'm not about to let you tear holes in it."
The Master was willing to admit he was in serious trouble now. Time distortions? Time locks? His clawing at the arm pressing into his throat was getting him nowhere either. "I'm just here... to buy a... uniform," the Master gasped out. There was nothing illegal about that other than the blackmail money he used to buy it, but that wouldn't be traced back to him.
"What, for one of your disguises? This shop's for Adjudicators though. Don't tell me you're going after that stupid doomsday weapon on Uxarieus?" the man asked, looking down at the Master in disbelief.
How did this man know about that? It was impossible for anyone to know about it, since the Master had stolen the ancient text from the Matrix and destroyed the evidence as soon as he realized what he'd found in order to discourage someone else finding it before him. The Master certainly hadn't told anyone that his plot was to disguise himself as an adjudicator in order to get to it.
"What did you do to break the time lock?" the man asked again, jostling the Master out of his surprise. "You've done something, I know you have, and I'm not letting you destroy the universe after the cost I just paid to save it. What did you do? Decide you had to save yourself?"
"Time... lock?" the Master returned, beginning to feel light-headed as the oxygen supply to his brain was slowly cut off. Not even his respiratory by-pass system was helping due to the man's fingers at specific pressure points at his neck, forcing it to remain inactive. Only another Time Lord would know how to disable that. "Who are... you?" the Master gasped out, regretting wasting even that precious air for the use of his vocal cords.
"No one important," the man said, letting up slightly on the Master's neck. The Master inhaled grateful lungfuls of air as he coughed a few times, barely able to hear the man's words over the pounding of his hearts. "You really don't have a clue, do you? What do you know, you're not behind it this time. Guess there's a second time for everything."
"Of course I don't know," the Master snapped as soon as he had enough breath. "I have no idea who you are, and I'd have told you if I knew anything about this lock nonsense you keep going on about."
"You'd have lied to me, if you did," the man said, resuming the tighter grip on the Master's neck. The Master was growing more afraid every second. If this man knew how to stop his respiratory bypass, he surely knew how to kill a Time Lord. "But you know what? I'm going to believe you this time," the man went on mock-cheerfully, though he didn't stop squeezing the Master's throat. "You're an idiot, but I don't think you're stupid enough to break a time lock. You can't possibly know about it either, though you still shouldn't be here."
What was this man going on about, a time lock? Not to mention calling the Master an idiot. Seething, the Master was forced onto the tips of his toes as the man pressed his arm upward under the Master's chin. He was choking, and the man kept talking about some ridiculous lock...
"Nothing's exploded yet, so I guess it all goes back to normal once you leave this bubble. No damage done, just this once. Maybe it's too soon and not properly sealed yet," the man said, not even paying attention to the person he was choking. There wasn't even a way for the Master to use that distraction to his advantage either, the thug was just too strong.
The Master was still being held against the wall, fighting for every gasped breath for a full minute after the man finally fell silent. Opening his eyes, the Master saw a contemplative expression on the man's face; he was watching the Master struggle, as if he were trying to find a trick that might be hidden up the Master's sleeve. Oh, how the Master wished he did have something. He tried to ask what the man was going to do, but he didn't have enough breath to speak.
Finally, the man let go of the Master's neck entirely. The Master was only allowed one greedy lungful of air before his shoulders were pinned against the wall, and the man’s mouth was pressed passionately against his.
The Master felt like his body was under the same hypnotic control he used on these primitive humans. Maybe it was the lack of air in his lungs, because the man wasn't using any kind of hypnotic technique the Master was aware of. Yet he couldn't stop this brutish thug from slipping his tongue in the Master's mouth or sliding his leg between the Master's thighs. The Master couldn't stop himself from responding to the kiss like a starving man, either. He fought for dominance in the kiss and was surprised when the strange man simply gave it to him.
Surprise turned to passion so quickly that the Master didn't have time to think about how impossible this was. This man was his. And he knew this person, he did, but his mind kept slipping away from the answer as if it were forced away, and no amount of mental power could redirect his thoughts down the proper line. Didn't matter. His. Whoever this northern man was, he belonged to the Master and they both knew it.
The Master broke the kiss, reality crashing back around him as the spell of the stranger's lips ended. He stopped his body from shamelessly rubbing against the stranger's leg, ignoring how much his hardening erection protested the ceasing of the movement. "Who are you?" he asked again, hearing how hoarse his voice sounded. The man's name was on the tip of the tongue he'd just been using to kiss the stranger to the ends of the universe, but it was still lost to him.
"I told you, no one important," the man said, tracing the Master's beard. It sent shivers down the Master's spine. "Just someone who's regretted never doing that before. In fact, I've got a few other regrets you can help me out with."
Despite the crude innuendo, there was an infinite sorrow and... suffering, hurt, anger, and death all whirling together in those storm-like eyes. It scared the Master, because he knew this man should never have such scarred eyes.
The Master started another kiss so he wouldn't have to see those grey eyes anymore, moaning as the man grabbed the Master's cock through his pants. The Master was still pinned against the wall, but he found he didn't care so much about that as long as it meant the stranger's hands never left his body. Except...
When he felt those same hands undoing his fly and pushing his trousers down, the Master snapped out of his daze to protest. "Not out here."
"They can't see us," the man said, looking insufferably smug. "Time distortion's warping all around us."
The Master stubbornly held on to his trousers while the man tugged on them. "I'm not doing this in the middle of a filthy human street."
The man's eyes turned cold, and the Master wondered if this wasn't a very bad idea. This stranger could obviously kill him easily. Something about the suggestion to move indoors had triggered a harsher reaction than the Master had expected. But the Master wasn't about to have sex in a cold alley, especially not with someone whose name he couldn't remember.
"Come on," the man said gruffly after a few seconds. He didn't give the Master any choice in the matter, holding on to his wrist with a force that would leave bruises and yanking him along even as the Master struggled to keep his trousers up. Whoever this man was, he wasn't gentle.
The stranger kept a quick pace that the Master was hard put to match, even when his trousers had been secured. The only reason he hadn't fallen to the ground was by the sheer force of the man's grip yanking him upright again before he could fall. What was he doing, allowing himself to be dragged along by a man whose name he couldn't place? A man who obviously didn't care if the Master was hurt in his own self-destructive path. The Master was sure that he wasn't being purposefully hurt, but this stranger was too locked in his own madness to realize what he was doing.
The Master wasn't even trying to struggle despite how dangerous hanging around such a person would be. He couldn't tell if he should be struggling, or if he should just enjoy the decimation.
When he was brought to a stop in front of an impossibly blue police box, the Master was finally able to work through what the time distortion and own disbelief had kept him from realizing. "Doctor?" he asked, hardly believing his eyes as the man pushed in the TARDIS' key and opened the door.
"So you've finally figured it out," the man -the Doctor - said, dragging him inside. "Took you long enough."
The Doctor let go of him once they were inside and the Master looked around the changed console room. As he gingerly rubbed his wrist and neck, the Master realized somethings never changed. "My dear Doctor, have you ever considered actually cleaning up after yourself?"
The Doctor ignored him, fiddling with the console in ways that were probably mysterious and baffling to his human pets, but the Master knew it was just showing off. It gave him a chance to breathe and contemplate the situation he found himself in. He was almost afraid of thinking about it, but the Master couldn't stop himself from wondering about the new regeneration of the Doctor he had in front of him.
There was something wrong with the Doctor. The Master didn't know if it was this 'time lock' the Doctor kept mentioning or if it was something else entirely, but this wasn't the Doctor he knew. This was the Doctor - but changed. The Master wasn’t sure if this new madness was a good thing or not. There was a self-destructive air about the Doctor that both frightened and worried the Master, and the northern accent and leather jacket weren't an improvement either.
"Doctor," the Master asked slowly. "Would you care to explain why you've brought me here?"
"You were complaining about being fucked in the street," the Doctor said bluntly. "Fantastic, now you're complaining about the TARDIS. Knew we should've gone someplace else."
Which was a point, but not the question the Master had asked. The Master clasped his hands together, trying to calculate what the Doctor was planning. He thought he knew the Doctor, but now... the Master had no idea what was going through the Doctor's head, and it was more than a little unnerving. "Aren't you afraid I'll try to take control of your TARDIS?" the Master asked, debating between continuing the conversation or what they'd started outside.
The Doctor looked over, smiling a little too cheerfully. "She won't respond to you. Are we going to get on with this?"
"Why?" the Master asked, raising his eyebrows. "Last time I saw you, you scorned my help and tricked me. Why this 'change of heart,' as your quaint human friends would say?"
Looking at the console, the Doctor started stroking a lever absently in a way that did nothing to stop the Master's erection from bothering him. "Because I'll never touch you in the regeneration of me you currently know," the Doctor said, not looking over at the Master. "And that was a mistake. I've always regretted that, especially when things got worse between us and... I did like you in that body. You won't believe this, but I've missed you."
So the Doctor wouldn't... The Master felt himself get angry at the stupid idiot. He had half a mind to walk back out of the TARDIS and let the Doctor still regret it. Except then he'd have to take care of his own needs himself, and he'd never have the Doctor at all in this body. There was no way for him to win this one, and the Master hated choosing between pride and pleasure.
Pleasure won out in the end, mainly because the Master was slowly being driven insane as the Doctor's fingers lightly traced and caressed the lever. Finally, the Doctor flipped a switch that was purely decorative from what the Master could see, walked back over to the Master, and gave his arse a good grope as the Doctor pulled him closer. "Is the question and answer session done now, or do you have some other plan? You can get out, if that's the case."
The hand fondling his arse was very distracting, but the Master still had so many questions. "What's happened to you?" he asked, searching the Doctor's eyes. The Doctor was scarred and broken in ways that the Master couldn't even imagine, and it was frightening to know that someone other than the Master could hurt the Doctor this much. When the Master didn't get a response, he tried asking again to keep himself from pressing against the Doctor greedily. "What's wrong with-"
He was cut off by another bruising kiss as the Doctor jerked him closer. This time the Master was prepared for it. If the Doctor wasn't going to give him answers, the Master would take them. While the Doctor had expected the Master's earlier hypnotic attack, he wasn't expecting anything of the sort now. The Master pushed himself into the Doctor's mind without hesitation.
What he saw there was a burning chaos of death and pain that nearly threatened to consume both of them. Dying. Killing. Pain. Alone. The Oncoming Storm. Couldn't save them. Last. Burning. Gasping, the Master realized he shouldn't have been scared of this Doctor. He should have been terrified. Oh, he was now. Too late. All dead. Still the last.
The Master was glad when the Doctor shoved the Master out of his mind and onto the console, despite how painfully the knobs and levers prodded his back. "Thought you could sneak into my mind?" the Doctor snarled, holding the Master down with an iron grip and starting to choke him again with his other hand. "Are you happy with your answers now? Stay out of my mind!"
"Forgive me, I-" the Master let out a short cry of pain as the Doctor pushed him down harder, the grip around the Master's neck tightening. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, stop!" the Master begged desperately before the choking could cut off his voice. He was trembling in terror of what this madman might do.
Abruptly, the Doctor let go and left the Master to cling to the console for support as he gasped for breath. "Get out," the Doctor said as he turned away.
The Master didn't move. He didn't think his legs would carry him in his current state, but he also didn't want to leave. He must be as mad as the Doctor to still want this when he was trembling in fear, but... the Doctor had admitted to wanting him, to regretting never having touched the Master in this regeneration. That simple desire had been all the Master craved for so long and this might be the only chance he ever had to take it. It wasn't like most of his people didn't already consider him mad anyway.
Closing his eyes, the Master focused on calming down. He'd faced fear before and he'd been stronger than the mind parasite. He could deal with this frightening older regeneration of the Doctor.
Finally, his hearts rate became more manageable and the Master felt steadier on his feet. Instead of walking to the door like the Doctor expected, the Master moved closer, taking the Doctor's hand.
The Doctor spun around, fury and desire in his surprisingly damp eyes. "I told you to get out!" he said, jerking his hand away. "Don't you understand what that-"
"Gently," the Master said, cutting the Doctor off. He claimed the Doctor's hand again and kissed his knuckles.
"What?" the Doctor asked, caught off guard.
"I said gently," the Master repeated, mustering up a bit of scorn in his voice. "I'm assuming you still remember what the word means." When he didn't get a further response out of the Doctor, the Master sighed and shook his head in resignation. "Very well, since I don't want to be black and blue in the morning, it seems I'll have to show you until you remember, if simple words are going to confuse you."
He leaned up to kiss the Doctor on the lips this time, but the Doctor took a step back, a frenzied energy in his shoulders as he held himself back. "I told you to get out. Why aren't you leaving?"
The Master paused, contemplating the risks of telling a lie. The Doctor was currently vulnerable - but also violent. The truth wouldn't cost the Master anything either, despite how he might not want to admit it. "Because the idiot in my time stream is too focused on his pet humans, and by your own admission, he doesn't want me." The latter came out far more bitter than the Master had intended, and he quickly covered the slip. "You want me, which will suffice for now."
The Doctor regarded him suspiciously, and the Master was almost afraid he would snap again. In a way, the Doctor did, springing forward to grab the Master, but the Master was ready for it this time. He took a step back and reminded the Doctor of his terms. "Gently."
Freezing in place, the Doctor had an unreadable expression on his face. "And if I can't be? The War-"
"I already told you, I'll show you how." The Master feigned exasperation at the Doctor's thickness, though really he couldn't bear to hear about the war that had so broken his Doctor. He didn't want to think about the things he saw in the Doctor's head nor about what the Doctor being the last meant for the Master. There would be time for that later, and right now he wanted the Doctor's hands stroking him like he'd been doing that lever.
True to his word, the Master leaned up and kissed the Doctor with a gentleness the Master hadn't realized he possessed. Slipping his tongue in the Doctor's mouth, he reveled in the Doctor following his lead for once. It was a heady feeling, and the Master found he was quickly becoming addicted to it. Pulling the Doctor close, the Master delighted in the Doctor's smothered moan as the Master's hands teased his still-covered cock. The Master's own erection had flagged while the terror had overwhelmed him, but it quickly revived as the kiss went on.
When the Master pulled away, the Doctor had his eyes closed. Whether it was to hold back more tears or simply to enjoy the moment, the Master couldn't say. This Doctor was still so much of a mystery to him. "Master..." the Doctor whispered breathlessly.
Shivers went down the Master's spine as the Doctor called him by his name. The Doctor had never called him that, not to his face, and the Master was suddenly very hard and very, very desperate to be horizontal, unclothed and inside the Doctor as his name was screamed. "Bedroom," he gasped, the language centers of his brain too obsessed with what the Doctor had called him to be able to form a complete sentence.
The sex was purely physical. The Master didn't dare to try even a shallow mental caress after what he'd seen in the Doctor's mind, and the Doctor didn't initiate any. However, that didn't make the physical side of things any less satisfying, and the Master drew it out for as long as possible. This might be the last time in a while that the Master would have him, and he planned on enjoying it as much as he could. There were a few mishaps that would leave the Master with a few bruises the next morning, but overall, the sex had been exactly what the Master had asked for.
When they'd finished, the Doctor clung to him. The Master looked down as the Doctor rested his head against the Master's chest, trying to gauge the Doctor's mood. He didn't look like he might start crying again but the Doctor was trembling almost imperceptibly. The Master could, of course, just ignore it, but... Sighing, the Master tried not to feel foolish as he hugged the Doctor closer. Comforting people had always been one of the Doctor's strong points, not his.
"I should have done this a long time ago," the Doctor said softly after his trembling had ceased. "I shouldn't have wasted the time you were right there in front of me. I was so incredibly stupid and now I can't..."
The last of the Time Lords. Silently, the Master vowed to prove that false. He refused to die, especially by the Doctor's hand on the other side of a time lock. Whatever fate had befallen the rest of their people, the Master would find a way to survive.
For now though, he leaned down to kiss the Doctor and keep him from saying any more. He only needed to keep the Doctor distracted for a few more minutes before he had recovered enough for round two. The Master was feeling very greedy, and he wasn't about to let the Doctor off that easily.
Later, when they were both fully clothed again and back in the console room, the Master kissed the Doctor one last time. Within seconds of the kiss, the Doctor took control of it. His hands gripped the Master's shoulders tightly, but not painfully, and the Master let himself melt into his lips. He was already regretting that the Doctor in his time stream would never hold him like this, but... well, perhaps the Master should take a bit more initiative and force the Doctor to realize what he wanted. He could always erase the memories later to keep this time stream as well.
"Good-bye, Master," the Doctor said as he pulled back, caressing the Master's cheek one last time.
The Master leaned into the touch as he shivered in pleasure at hearing his name, but pride kept him from letting it last too long. Maybe the current Doctor would never touch him like this, but he would be damned if he let the Doctor make this the last time ever. "Until next time, Doctor," the Master said with a smug smile.
At first, the Doctor looked surprised. Then he went blank, either assuming the Master hadn't seen as much in his mind as he'd thought or that the Master was being intentionally cruel. The Doctor might believe this was the last time, but the Master refused to believe it was. Even if he had to go to the end of the universe to escape this war, the Master would find a way to survive. Won't the Doctor be surprised then?
"There won't be a next time," the Doctor said softly after the Master had walked through the TARDIS doors.
"I think you'll find there will be," the Master said. He walked a few steps further then turned around to face the Doctor and... What had he been doing here? There had been that northern thug with the big ears and... had they had a short affair? The Master wasn't generally given to one-night stands, certainly not with complete strangers, but this man had... reminded him of the Doctor.
The Master wasn't that desperate, of course, but one thing had lead to another and it hadn't been the worst way to spend the night and a good half of the morning. He just wished it had been the Doctor and not some fashion-impaired thug. "Good-bye," the Master said, feeling like he needed to say something. He was quite sure he'd never see this man again, after all.
His eyes slid around the blue object - the wall? - that was behind the stranger, not really seeing it. Did he never even find out this man's name? The Master really started to wonder just what had gotten into him.
The man just nodded, leaning against the blue object. This was all well and good, the Master decided, but he had a super weapon to chase after. Thankfully, the man didn't seem to expect anything else from him. If the Master ever ended up in a one-night stand again, he would have to remember to leave before the other person woke up to avoid this awkwardness. Or simply stay away from short affairs all together. Honestly, what had he been thinking?
Getting back to buying his adjudicator uniform, he didn't see the man who was quickly fading from his memory staring after him longingly. Nor did he hear the sorrowful sound of a TARDIS dematerializing as it carried two broken hearts.
~FINI~
"Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied."
-Pearl Buck
By: Memory Dragon
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, nor do I make any claim to.
Characters: Ninth Doctor/Delgado Master
Warnings: A lot of angst and some foreplay, but the sex is cut off before it gets descriptive.
Original Prompt: "Three never fucked Delgado!Master, and the Doctor's always regretted it."
Because there are many many fics with the Master pining for a former Doctor (my own included) but very few going the other way around. Can I get an older Doctor (preferably Six or Seven) going back to harass Delgado!Master and make up for Three?
Notes: Written for the best_enemies anon meme. Original can be found here. Also, it's Nine and not Six or Seven... Sadly, I've not seen enough serials of either of them to really attempt writing them yet.
Thanks: Many thanks to my beta, narwhale_callin. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, even if I do have a perchance for choking characters. <3
~
"You're not supposed to be here!" a rough voice shouted in his ear as a calloused hand spun the Master around.
He'd been shopping for an adjudicator uniform in the 25th century for his latest plot when this... thug grabbed his shoulder. He eyed the idiot warily, taking in the leather jacket and big ears dispassionately. There was something oddly familiar about this person, but the Master didn't have the time to deal with idiots right now, familiar or not. He had a weapon of mass destruction to track down. "I'll overlook your rudeness since I have other things to do. You'll find it's in your best interest to unhand me."
"So that's in my best interest?" the thug asked in a thick northern accent. It certainly didn't help him sound any more intelligent than he was acting. "Is that right? Why would I want to do that?"
The idiot was even stupider than he looked, which was an accomplishment all things considered. "I am the Master and you will obey me. Now let go," the Master said, putting the hypnotic suggestion behind the words.
He found himself being shoved against the wall of the uniform surplus store; his head knocked against the brick. He hissed as he felt a hand start to crush his windpipe. Intelligence levels didn't always dampen a human's ability to kill, the Master remembered.
"Doesn't work on me," the man said. "Don't you ever try that on me. What are you doing here?"
The Master struggled, one hand pulling at the thug's hands around his throat and the other reaching out to a pressure point in the man's neck. This was no ordinary ape, however, and the Master found that his attempts were blocked easily as the human removed one hand and kept the other tight around the Master's neck. The thug focused more on crushing than actually strangling, and it was just as, if not more, effective.
The Master looked around desperately, because surely someone would see this and help him. They were in the middle of a crowded street next to an open shop, and there had to be police nearby. "Isn't that a shame?" the man said as the Master realized no one was even looking at them. "Looks like they can't see us through the time distortion you've somehow managed to create. Lucky for me, though. Now, why don't you tell me how you got here, 'cause I just created this time lock and I'm not about to let you tear holes in it."
The Master was willing to admit he was in serious trouble now. Time distortions? Time locks? His clawing at the arm pressing into his throat was getting him nowhere either. "I'm just here... to buy a... uniform," the Master gasped out. There was nothing illegal about that other than the blackmail money he used to buy it, but that wouldn't be traced back to him.
"What, for one of your disguises? This shop's for Adjudicators though. Don't tell me you're going after that stupid doomsday weapon on Uxarieus?" the man asked, looking down at the Master in disbelief.
How did this man know about that? It was impossible for anyone to know about it, since the Master had stolen the ancient text from the Matrix and destroyed the evidence as soon as he realized what he'd found in order to discourage someone else finding it before him. The Master certainly hadn't told anyone that his plot was to disguise himself as an adjudicator in order to get to it.
"What did you do to break the time lock?" the man asked again, jostling the Master out of his surprise. "You've done something, I know you have, and I'm not letting you destroy the universe after the cost I just paid to save it. What did you do? Decide you had to save yourself?"
"Time... lock?" the Master returned, beginning to feel light-headed as the oxygen supply to his brain was slowly cut off. Not even his respiratory by-pass system was helping due to the man's fingers at specific pressure points at his neck, forcing it to remain inactive. Only another Time Lord would know how to disable that. "Who are... you?" the Master gasped out, regretting wasting even that precious air for the use of his vocal cords.
"No one important," the man said, letting up slightly on the Master's neck. The Master inhaled grateful lungfuls of air as he coughed a few times, barely able to hear the man's words over the pounding of his hearts. "You really don't have a clue, do you? What do you know, you're not behind it this time. Guess there's a second time for everything."
"Of course I don't know," the Master snapped as soon as he had enough breath. "I have no idea who you are, and I'd have told you if I knew anything about this lock nonsense you keep going on about."
"You'd have lied to me, if you did," the man said, resuming the tighter grip on the Master's neck. The Master was growing more afraid every second. If this man knew how to stop his respiratory bypass, he surely knew how to kill a Time Lord. "But you know what? I'm going to believe you this time," the man went on mock-cheerfully, though he didn't stop squeezing the Master's throat. "You're an idiot, but I don't think you're stupid enough to break a time lock. You can't possibly know about it either, though you still shouldn't be here."
What was this man going on about, a time lock? Not to mention calling the Master an idiot. Seething, the Master was forced onto the tips of his toes as the man pressed his arm upward under the Master's chin. He was choking, and the man kept talking about some ridiculous lock...
"Nothing's exploded yet, so I guess it all goes back to normal once you leave this bubble. No damage done, just this once. Maybe it's too soon and not properly sealed yet," the man said, not even paying attention to the person he was choking. There wasn't even a way for the Master to use that distraction to his advantage either, the thug was just too strong.
The Master was still being held against the wall, fighting for every gasped breath for a full minute after the man finally fell silent. Opening his eyes, the Master saw a contemplative expression on the man's face; he was watching the Master struggle, as if he were trying to find a trick that might be hidden up the Master's sleeve. Oh, how the Master wished he did have something. He tried to ask what the man was going to do, but he didn't have enough breath to speak.
Finally, the man let go of the Master's neck entirely. The Master was only allowed one greedy lungful of air before his shoulders were pinned against the wall, and the man’s mouth was pressed passionately against his.
The Master felt like his body was under the same hypnotic control he used on these primitive humans. Maybe it was the lack of air in his lungs, because the man wasn't using any kind of hypnotic technique the Master was aware of. Yet he couldn't stop this brutish thug from slipping his tongue in the Master's mouth or sliding his leg between the Master's thighs. The Master couldn't stop himself from responding to the kiss like a starving man, either. He fought for dominance in the kiss and was surprised when the strange man simply gave it to him.
Surprise turned to passion so quickly that the Master didn't have time to think about how impossible this was. This man was his. And he knew this person, he did, but his mind kept slipping away from the answer as if it were forced away, and no amount of mental power could redirect his thoughts down the proper line. Didn't matter. His. Whoever this northern man was, he belonged to the Master and they both knew it.
The Master broke the kiss, reality crashing back around him as the spell of the stranger's lips ended. He stopped his body from shamelessly rubbing against the stranger's leg, ignoring how much his hardening erection protested the ceasing of the movement. "Who are you?" he asked again, hearing how hoarse his voice sounded. The man's name was on the tip of the tongue he'd just been using to kiss the stranger to the ends of the universe, but it was still lost to him.
"I told you, no one important," the man said, tracing the Master's beard. It sent shivers down the Master's spine. "Just someone who's regretted never doing that before. In fact, I've got a few other regrets you can help me out with."
Despite the crude innuendo, there was an infinite sorrow and... suffering, hurt, anger, and death all whirling together in those storm-like eyes. It scared the Master, because he knew this man should never have such scarred eyes.
The Master started another kiss so he wouldn't have to see those grey eyes anymore, moaning as the man grabbed the Master's cock through his pants. The Master was still pinned against the wall, but he found he didn't care so much about that as long as it meant the stranger's hands never left his body. Except...
When he felt those same hands undoing his fly and pushing his trousers down, the Master snapped out of his daze to protest. "Not out here."
"They can't see us," the man said, looking insufferably smug. "Time distortion's warping all around us."
The Master stubbornly held on to his trousers while the man tugged on them. "I'm not doing this in the middle of a filthy human street."
The man's eyes turned cold, and the Master wondered if this wasn't a very bad idea. This stranger could obviously kill him easily. Something about the suggestion to move indoors had triggered a harsher reaction than the Master had expected. But the Master wasn't about to have sex in a cold alley, especially not with someone whose name he couldn't remember.
"Come on," the man said gruffly after a few seconds. He didn't give the Master any choice in the matter, holding on to his wrist with a force that would leave bruises and yanking him along even as the Master struggled to keep his trousers up. Whoever this man was, he wasn't gentle.
The stranger kept a quick pace that the Master was hard put to match, even when his trousers had been secured. The only reason he hadn't fallen to the ground was by the sheer force of the man's grip yanking him upright again before he could fall. What was he doing, allowing himself to be dragged along by a man whose name he couldn't place? A man who obviously didn't care if the Master was hurt in his own self-destructive path. The Master was sure that he wasn't being purposefully hurt, but this stranger was too locked in his own madness to realize what he was doing.
The Master wasn't even trying to struggle despite how dangerous hanging around such a person would be. He couldn't tell if he should be struggling, or if he should just enjoy the decimation.
When he was brought to a stop in front of an impossibly blue police box, the Master was finally able to work through what the time distortion and own disbelief had kept him from realizing. "Doctor?" he asked, hardly believing his eyes as the man pushed in the TARDIS' key and opened the door.
"So you've finally figured it out," the man -the Doctor - said, dragging him inside. "Took you long enough."
The Doctor let go of him once they were inside and the Master looked around the changed console room. As he gingerly rubbed his wrist and neck, the Master realized somethings never changed. "My dear Doctor, have you ever considered actually cleaning up after yourself?"
The Doctor ignored him, fiddling with the console in ways that were probably mysterious and baffling to his human pets, but the Master knew it was just showing off. It gave him a chance to breathe and contemplate the situation he found himself in. He was almost afraid of thinking about it, but the Master couldn't stop himself from wondering about the new regeneration of the Doctor he had in front of him.
There was something wrong with the Doctor. The Master didn't know if it was this 'time lock' the Doctor kept mentioning or if it was something else entirely, but this wasn't the Doctor he knew. This was the Doctor - but changed. The Master wasn’t sure if this new madness was a good thing or not. There was a self-destructive air about the Doctor that both frightened and worried the Master, and the northern accent and leather jacket weren't an improvement either.
"Doctor," the Master asked slowly. "Would you care to explain why you've brought me here?"
"You were complaining about being fucked in the street," the Doctor said bluntly. "Fantastic, now you're complaining about the TARDIS. Knew we should've gone someplace else."
Which was a point, but not the question the Master had asked. The Master clasped his hands together, trying to calculate what the Doctor was planning. He thought he knew the Doctor, but now... the Master had no idea what was going through the Doctor's head, and it was more than a little unnerving. "Aren't you afraid I'll try to take control of your TARDIS?" the Master asked, debating between continuing the conversation or what they'd started outside.
The Doctor looked over, smiling a little too cheerfully. "She won't respond to you. Are we going to get on with this?"
"Why?" the Master asked, raising his eyebrows. "Last time I saw you, you scorned my help and tricked me. Why this 'change of heart,' as your quaint human friends would say?"
Looking at the console, the Doctor started stroking a lever absently in a way that did nothing to stop the Master's erection from bothering him. "Because I'll never touch you in the regeneration of me you currently know," the Doctor said, not looking over at the Master. "And that was a mistake. I've always regretted that, especially when things got worse between us and... I did like you in that body. You won't believe this, but I've missed you."
So the Doctor wouldn't... The Master felt himself get angry at the stupid idiot. He had half a mind to walk back out of the TARDIS and let the Doctor still regret it. Except then he'd have to take care of his own needs himself, and he'd never have the Doctor at all in this body. There was no way for him to win this one, and the Master hated choosing between pride and pleasure.
Pleasure won out in the end, mainly because the Master was slowly being driven insane as the Doctor's fingers lightly traced and caressed the lever. Finally, the Doctor flipped a switch that was purely decorative from what the Master could see, walked back over to the Master, and gave his arse a good grope as the Doctor pulled him closer. "Is the question and answer session done now, or do you have some other plan? You can get out, if that's the case."
The hand fondling his arse was very distracting, but the Master still had so many questions. "What's happened to you?" he asked, searching the Doctor's eyes. The Doctor was scarred and broken in ways that the Master couldn't even imagine, and it was frightening to know that someone other than the Master could hurt the Doctor this much. When the Master didn't get a response, he tried asking again to keep himself from pressing against the Doctor greedily. "What's wrong with-"
He was cut off by another bruising kiss as the Doctor jerked him closer. This time the Master was prepared for it. If the Doctor wasn't going to give him answers, the Master would take them. While the Doctor had expected the Master's earlier hypnotic attack, he wasn't expecting anything of the sort now. The Master pushed himself into the Doctor's mind without hesitation.
What he saw there was a burning chaos of death and pain that nearly threatened to consume both of them. Dying. Killing. Pain. Alone. The Oncoming Storm. Couldn't save them. Last. Burning. Gasping, the Master realized he shouldn't have been scared of this Doctor. He should have been terrified. Oh, he was now. Too late. All dead. Still the last.
The Master was glad when the Doctor shoved the Master out of his mind and onto the console, despite how painfully the knobs and levers prodded his back. "Thought you could sneak into my mind?" the Doctor snarled, holding the Master down with an iron grip and starting to choke him again with his other hand. "Are you happy with your answers now? Stay out of my mind!"
"Forgive me, I-" the Master let out a short cry of pain as the Doctor pushed him down harder, the grip around the Master's neck tightening. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, stop!" the Master begged desperately before the choking could cut off his voice. He was trembling in terror of what this madman might do.
Abruptly, the Doctor let go and left the Master to cling to the console for support as he gasped for breath. "Get out," the Doctor said as he turned away.
The Master didn't move. He didn't think his legs would carry him in his current state, but he also didn't want to leave. He must be as mad as the Doctor to still want this when he was trembling in fear, but... the Doctor had admitted to wanting him, to regretting never having touched the Master in this regeneration. That simple desire had been all the Master craved for so long and this might be the only chance he ever had to take it. It wasn't like most of his people didn't already consider him mad anyway.
Closing his eyes, the Master focused on calming down. He'd faced fear before and he'd been stronger than the mind parasite. He could deal with this frightening older regeneration of the Doctor.
Finally, his hearts rate became more manageable and the Master felt steadier on his feet. Instead of walking to the door like the Doctor expected, the Master moved closer, taking the Doctor's hand.
The Doctor spun around, fury and desire in his surprisingly damp eyes. "I told you to get out!" he said, jerking his hand away. "Don't you understand what that-"
"Gently," the Master said, cutting the Doctor off. He claimed the Doctor's hand again and kissed his knuckles.
"What?" the Doctor asked, caught off guard.
"I said gently," the Master repeated, mustering up a bit of scorn in his voice. "I'm assuming you still remember what the word means." When he didn't get a further response out of the Doctor, the Master sighed and shook his head in resignation. "Very well, since I don't want to be black and blue in the morning, it seems I'll have to show you until you remember, if simple words are going to confuse you."
He leaned up to kiss the Doctor on the lips this time, but the Doctor took a step back, a frenzied energy in his shoulders as he held himself back. "I told you to get out. Why aren't you leaving?"
The Master paused, contemplating the risks of telling a lie. The Doctor was currently vulnerable - but also violent. The truth wouldn't cost the Master anything either, despite how he might not want to admit it. "Because the idiot in my time stream is too focused on his pet humans, and by your own admission, he doesn't want me." The latter came out far more bitter than the Master had intended, and he quickly covered the slip. "You want me, which will suffice for now."
The Doctor regarded him suspiciously, and the Master was almost afraid he would snap again. In a way, the Doctor did, springing forward to grab the Master, but the Master was ready for it this time. He took a step back and reminded the Doctor of his terms. "Gently."
Freezing in place, the Doctor had an unreadable expression on his face. "And if I can't be? The War-"
"I already told you, I'll show you how." The Master feigned exasperation at the Doctor's thickness, though really he couldn't bear to hear about the war that had so broken his Doctor. He didn't want to think about the things he saw in the Doctor's head nor about what the Doctor being the last meant for the Master. There would be time for that later, and right now he wanted the Doctor's hands stroking him like he'd been doing that lever.
True to his word, the Master leaned up and kissed the Doctor with a gentleness the Master hadn't realized he possessed. Slipping his tongue in the Doctor's mouth, he reveled in the Doctor following his lead for once. It was a heady feeling, and the Master found he was quickly becoming addicted to it. Pulling the Doctor close, the Master delighted in the Doctor's smothered moan as the Master's hands teased his still-covered cock. The Master's own erection had flagged while the terror had overwhelmed him, but it quickly revived as the kiss went on.
When the Master pulled away, the Doctor had his eyes closed. Whether it was to hold back more tears or simply to enjoy the moment, the Master couldn't say. This Doctor was still so much of a mystery to him. "Master..." the Doctor whispered breathlessly.
Shivers went down the Master's spine as the Doctor called him by his name. The Doctor had never called him that, not to his face, and the Master was suddenly very hard and very, very desperate to be horizontal, unclothed and inside the Doctor as his name was screamed. "Bedroom," he gasped, the language centers of his brain too obsessed with what the Doctor had called him to be able to form a complete sentence.
The sex was purely physical. The Master didn't dare to try even a shallow mental caress after what he'd seen in the Doctor's mind, and the Doctor didn't initiate any. However, that didn't make the physical side of things any less satisfying, and the Master drew it out for as long as possible. This might be the last time in a while that the Master would have him, and he planned on enjoying it as much as he could. There were a few mishaps that would leave the Master with a few bruises the next morning, but overall, the sex had been exactly what the Master had asked for.
When they'd finished, the Doctor clung to him. The Master looked down as the Doctor rested his head against the Master's chest, trying to gauge the Doctor's mood. He didn't look like he might start crying again but the Doctor was trembling almost imperceptibly. The Master could, of course, just ignore it, but... Sighing, the Master tried not to feel foolish as he hugged the Doctor closer. Comforting people had always been one of the Doctor's strong points, not his.
"I should have done this a long time ago," the Doctor said softly after his trembling had ceased. "I shouldn't have wasted the time you were right there in front of me. I was so incredibly stupid and now I can't..."
The last of the Time Lords. Silently, the Master vowed to prove that false. He refused to die, especially by the Doctor's hand on the other side of a time lock. Whatever fate had befallen the rest of their people, the Master would find a way to survive.
For now though, he leaned down to kiss the Doctor and keep him from saying any more. He only needed to keep the Doctor distracted for a few more minutes before he had recovered enough for round two. The Master was feeling very greedy, and he wasn't about to let the Doctor off that easily.
Later, when they were both fully clothed again and back in the console room, the Master kissed the Doctor one last time. Within seconds of the kiss, the Doctor took control of it. His hands gripped the Master's shoulders tightly, but not painfully, and the Master let himself melt into his lips. He was already regretting that the Doctor in his time stream would never hold him like this, but... well, perhaps the Master should take a bit more initiative and force the Doctor to realize what he wanted. He could always erase the memories later to keep this time stream as well.
"Good-bye, Master," the Doctor said as he pulled back, caressing the Master's cheek one last time.
The Master leaned into the touch as he shivered in pleasure at hearing his name, but pride kept him from letting it last too long. Maybe the current Doctor would never touch him like this, but he would be damned if he let the Doctor make this the last time ever. "Until next time, Doctor," the Master said with a smug smile.
At first, the Doctor looked surprised. Then he went blank, either assuming the Master hadn't seen as much in his mind as he'd thought or that the Master was being intentionally cruel. The Doctor might believe this was the last time, but the Master refused to believe it was. Even if he had to go to the end of the universe to escape this war, the Master would find a way to survive. Won't the Doctor be surprised then?
"There won't be a next time," the Doctor said softly after the Master had walked through the TARDIS doors.
"I think you'll find there will be," the Master said. He walked a few steps further then turned around to face the Doctor and... What had he been doing here? There had been that northern thug with the big ears and... had they had a short affair? The Master wasn't generally given to one-night stands, certainly not with complete strangers, but this man had... reminded him of the Doctor.
The Master wasn't that desperate, of course, but one thing had lead to another and it hadn't been the worst way to spend the night and a good half of the morning. He just wished it had been the Doctor and not some fashion-impaired thug. "Good-bye," the Master said, feeling like he needed to say something. He was quite sure he'd never see this man again, after all.
His eyes slid around the blue object - the wall? - that was behind the stranger, not really seeing it. Did he never even find out this man's name? The Master really started to wonder just what had gotten into him.
The man just nodded, leaning against the blue object. This was all well and good, the Master decided, but he had a super weapon to chase after. Thankfully, the man didn't seem to expect anything else from him. If the Master ever ended up in a one-night stand again, he would have to remember to leave before the other person woke up to avoid this awkwardness. Or simply stay away from short affairs all together. Honestly, what had he been thinking?
Getting back to buying his adjudicator uniform, he didn't see the man who was quickly fading from his memory staring after him longingly. Nor did he hear the sorrowful sound of a TARDIS dematerializing as it carried two broken hearts.
~FINI~
"Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied."
-Pearl Buck