broken!Master with the Doctor
Three months in and the Master had stopped his exploration of the TARDIS. He'd stopped, well, anything really. He just sat in the room he was kept in when the Doctor needed rest or left the TARDIS to save some idiotic civilization that didn't deserve his attention or his help. The Doctor thought that, maybe, it was a sort of phase. He'd start up with his deadly pranks again at any moment.
They could each go back to their skewed sort of domestic.
He brought him food, since the Master obviously didn't deem the Doctor worthy enough to even share dinner with him anymore and he ate but not near as much as he typically would. One night the Doctor decided to sit with him, try and strike up a conversation and only ended up wasting his breath. The Master didn't even spare him a glance, just stared off at the opposite wall. He took his tray and let him alone.
He would snap out of it soon enough. This was just another game.
For weeks this went on before he began to notice that the Master wasn't eating at all. He sat in the corner of the room, staring off at nothing in particular when he sat the tray down and left. The Master would be in the exact same spot when he came for the tray after a few hours. Some days he would eat just enough to keep going in whatever semi-catatonic state he was in and the Doctor wasn't ready to try and force him. At least not yet.
That was when it started.
The Doctor was roused out of his maintenance work in the console room when he heard a loud, steady beat. He recognized it immediately and took off toward the Master's room. He felt his hearts twist in a knot at what he saw. He was still in the same spot, turned just slightly so he could reach the wall which was being hit repeatedly in that same beat with the flat of his hand. He didn't say a word or even acknowledge he had come inside, just continued with the constant sound that grew louder and louder with each repetition. He must have stood there gaping at him for near a minute before he went over and pulled him from where he sat, stopping the beat as he took his hands in his own. The Master didn't fight and it felt wrong because he should fight. The Master always fought him, and he fought back. He looked up at him then, the first time in weeks, with those dull, tired eyes and the Doctor had to look away.
But the Master would snap out of it. He had to.
Two days later he decided fresh air would do them both some good. He might as well have been alone for the one sided conversation he was having. The Doctor tried to ignore the fact that he'd practically had to drag Koschei out of the room and put him in a warm coat and proceed to lead him out the TARDIS doors. When they left the ship, the Doctor breathed deep, grinning as he looked back to the other Time Lord.
"Look, real snow!" he announced, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
The Master regarded him with that dull look (that he'd begun to hate) and then tilted his head back to look up at the sky. He blinked as snow got into his eyes and more landed on his face and clothes. He felt the Doctor's eyes on him but he was so tired.
The Doctor swallowed hard, hoping for any sort of reaction. A smile, a sneer, anything at all. Something to show him that the Master was still in there. He watched him look back at him and waited expectantly.
The Master merely turned around and walked back inside the TARDIS and back to his room, leaving the jacket on the floor along the way.
Things started in on a sharp decline after that, the Doctor purposely goading him in his own irritation at the Master's ignoring him. The drumbeats on the walls had stopped after the first time but the Doctor found him with his knees tucked up against his chest and his hands over his ears, mouth moving soundlessly. It was those times he felt truly helpless because he still couldn't get through to him. He took drastic measures one day, taking him into the console room and standing him in one while he left his side a moment to find what he was-AH!
The Doctor barreled back with his prize in tow, the laser screwdriver, took his best enemy's hand and smacked it into it. He even closed his fingers over it and brought it level with his chest. The Master stared at him but there was no reaction there.
"Come on then, do it."
The Master only stared at him, unblinking.
"You want me out of the way, you want the both of us burning through the rest of our regenerations? Come on then."
He blinked owlishly at him, fingers going slack and gravity doing the rest by pulling the screwdriver out of his grip. It clattered to the grating under their feet and echoed between them.
The Master simply turned and walked back to his room.
prompt: broken!Master with the Doctor
words: 918
They could each go back to their skewed sort of domestic.
He brought him food, since the Master obviously didn't deem the Doctor worthy enough to even share dinner with him anymore and he ate but not near as much as he typically would. One night the Doctor decided to sit with him, try and strike up a conversation and only ended up wasting his breath. The Master didn't even spare him a glance, just stared off at the opposite wall. He took his tray and let him alone.
He would snap out of it soon enough. This was just another game.
For weeks this went on before he began to notice that the Master wasn't eating at all. He sat in the corner of the room, staring off at nothing in particular when he sat the tray down and left. The Master would be in the exact same spot when he came for the tray after a few hours. Some days he would eat just enough to keep going in whatever semi-catatonic state he was in and the Doctor wasn't ready to try and force him. At least not yet.
That was when it started.
The Doctor was roused out of his maintenance work in the console room when he heard a loud, steady beat. He recognized it immediately and took off toward the Master's room. He felt his hearts twist in a knot at what he saw. He was still in the same spot, turned just slightly so he could reach the wall which was being hit repeatedly in that same beat with the flat of his hand. He didn't say a word or even acknowledge he had come inside, just continued with the constant sound that grew louder and louder with each repetition. He must have stood there gaping at him for near a minute before he went over and pulled him from where he sat, stopping the beat as he took his hands in his own. The Master didn't fight and it felt wrong because he should fight. The Master always fought him, and he fought back. He looked up at him then, the first time in weeks, with those dull, tired eyes and the Doctor had to look away.
But the Master would snap out of it. He had to.
Two days later he decided fresh air would do them both some good. He might as well have been alone for the one sided conversation he was having. The Doctor tried to ignore the fact that he'd practically had to drag Koschei out of the room and put him in a warm coat and proceed to lead him out the TARDIS doors. When they left the ship, the Doctor breathed deep, grinning as he looked back to the other Time Lord.
"Look, real snow!" he announced, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
The Master regarded him with that dull look (that he'd begun to hate) and then tilted his head back to look up at the sky. He blinked as snow got into his eyes and more landed on his face and clothes. He felt the Doctor's eyes on him but he was so tired.
The Doctor swallowed hard, hoping for any sort of reaction. A smile, a sneer, anything at all. Something to show him that the Master was still in there. He watched him look back at him and waited expectantly.
The Master merely turned around and walked back inside the TARDIS and back to his room, leaving the jacket on the floor along the way.
Things started in on a sharp decline after that, the Doctor purposely goading him in his own irritation at the Master's ignoring him. The drumbeats on the walls had stopped after the first time but the Doctor found him with his knees tucked up against his chest and his hands over his ears, mouth moving soundlessly. It was those times he felt truly helpless because he still couldn't get through to him. He took drastic measures one day, taking him into the console room and standing him in one while he left his side a moment to find what he was-AH!
The Doctor barreled back with his prize in tow, the laser screwdriver, took his best enemy's hand and smacked it into it. He even closed his fingers over it and brought it level with his chest. The Master stared at him but there was no reaction there.
"Come on then, do it."
The Master only stared at him, unblinking.
"You want me out of the way, you want the both of us burning through the rest of our regenerations? Come on then."
He blinked owlishly at him, fingers going slack and gravity doing the rest by pulling the screwdriver out of his grip. It clattered to the grating under their feet and echoed between them.
The Master simply turned and walked back to his room.
prompt: broken!Master with the Doctor
words: 918