Dribble (bit longer than a drabble, shorter than a ficlet)
Title: Mandala
Pairing: Doctor/Master
Rating: PG 13
Challenge: Pain
The Doctor suffers so beautifully in this new body. The Master feels almost guilty when those big brown eyes look up at him, confused and clouded with pain. Almost. The twinge of guilt, the tiny voice of dissent doesn’t protest loud enough to overcome the inherent advantages of torturing the Doctor.
It’s nearly a sexual experience; it’s so intense, so electric (And safe. The Master would never admit this out loud. He refuses to acknowledge it even in the darkest recesses of his own mind, but the Doctor knows). The Master levels the laser screwdriver, points it at the Doctor, and watches his anticipation build, watches the Doctor’s eyes grow wider, his breath quicken, his body tense as the atmosphere in the room thickens with the promise of pain. The Master’s arm shakes a bit, trembles just slightly, his finger twitches as it hovers over the button and that moment stretches forever (though forever is never long enough for them).
When the Master pushes the trigger, the scream the Doctor lets out is a release for both of them. He writhes on the floor, convulses. The Doctor’s body is beautiful in agony, so gorgeous the Master wishes he could keep him this way, perpetually mad with pain. A pretty little toy shattered in pieces on the floor.
Of course, the pleasure of that perfect moment is always ruined in the next instant. The moment the pain subsides, the Doctor lifts his head and looks at his tormentor with that expression. It makes the Master’s blood run cold, enrages him more than any of the Doctor’s good deeds, and frightens him more than the Time War ever did. The Master stares down at the Doctor, trapped by the sincerity in his face, the forgiveness, the compassion, the fucking love. It ruins the moment, sours the victory every damn time. The Master leaves the Doctor broken on the floor. Storms out of the room, wishing he could run away to the end of the universe and just forget.
The memory haunts him, torments him, and drives him back to the Doctor, trapping them in a never-ending cycle of reciprocal pain.