The Time That Never Was: Day 232

[notsoperfect10]

"The Time That Never Was: Day 232"
Who: The Doctor & The Master
When: During the Year That Never Was, Pre-Merge

His jaw had healed nicely but their attempt to break out had been impossibly mangled and now, the Doctor found himself hardly able to hold up his head.  He liked the bird cage much better than he liked the tent though, so there was that.  He

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[iehcsok]

The Master was an early morning person lately... which wasn't always a good thing for the Doctor, he supposed it was all down to the drums, they made it so very hard to sleep. The Master was quite childish really, if he couldn't sleep then why should anyone else? He crept along the room like an excited boy at Christmas and ducked down, pretending to be hiding behind the chairs and table before he pounced at the poor little Doctor.

Grabbing the cage, he rattled it about, knowing the little guy would fall back onto his aching and fragile bones. It wasn't hard enough to break anything, just to knock him off his footing. It was a baby shake if anything.

"Good morning my dear darling Doctor, want to come out and play? Oh I have so many ideas or today."

And he honestly couldn't hold them back, he just wanted to have some fun.

[notsoperfect10]

The Doctor tried his best not to speak when the Master kept him this age. Everything ached -- including his vocal cords -- and all he wanted to do was go to sleep. Sleep. It wasn't as if he could run anywhere. He even a step, he really didn't think he could!

Pressing his forehead to the bars once he pulled himself up, the Doctor turned giant eyes towards the Master and sighed. He hated these games. None was ever as bad as that terrible game with the tennis ball, but time seemed to move so slowly when he was this old.

The torment never ended.

[iehcsok]

The Master pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the cage, snagging the little guy under his arms and tugging him free from the cage. Carrying him along with an amused look, he set the little guy on the table, unable to hold back his grin. It spread right across his face and he couldn't help but giggle a little as he took out his laser.

"You're so tiny! It's hilarious."

Pulling it out, he pointed the laser at the Doctor. It was easier to tease the Doctor and torture him when he was younger, his body damaged less and his bruises faded easier. Smirking, he gave the Doctor a look of mock sympathy before aiming and firing.

"Down and down and down you go. I'll stop when I say that stupid hedgehog hair."

[notsoperfect10]

This was never pleasant and the Doctor flailed and rocked and fell off of the table in the end. He'd split his suit and another would have to be made for him. Laying exhausted and naked, face down on the floor, he pressed his tongue against the backside of his teeth and slowly pressed his hands against the tile work.

"It's not stupid," he managed once his voice worked well enough and he got to his knees, head bowed. He hoped that the Master had a robe for him. He hated wandering around the Valiant with nothing on.

People tended to stare. How rude!

"My hair's awesome. Not ginger, uncofortunately... Can't always be perfect."

[iehcsok]

"Oh would shut up, you've been young for less that a minute and I've already lost most my interest," the Master moved in closer and gripped the Doctor tight by his jaw, tilting it so he could have a good inspection, squeezing the tender and saw jaw as hard as he could without making it too obvious what he was doing.

It was rubbing salt on the wound.

"Feeling all better now, Theta? I thought you and I could have breakfast together? Seen as it is quite early and we're in no rush, we can have a chat as well before the day kicks off."

Though it was not a wise idea to trust the Doctor, no matter how nice he makes it sound.

[notsoperfect10]

He really hated that name. He wasn't that boy anymore. And the Master? He certainly wasn't Koschei. Koschei was sweet. An almost delicate little boy. And the Doctor really missed him. Sometimes, alone, it was who he thought about. Even over Rose.

He winced when the Master pressed his thumb into his jaw and forced himself to smile. Really smile. Genuine, despite the pain.

"Oh, lovely, what's for breakfast today?"

He didn't have to ask. He already knew. Toast. Dry.

[notsoperfect10]

The master smirked in a cunning manner. Oh yes, breakfast was going to be fun. The Master lead the way, of course, smiling playfully as he trekked along into the kitchen. The poor staff were still awake and working away at breakfast. The smell was lovely, the Master appeared to be having a full English. And there, to the side was a lovely plate of dry toast

[notsoperfect10]

"Don't you ever get tired of screwing up? I would. I mean, come on. It can't be fun to be the lowest of the very low all the time

[iehcsok]

The Doctor was buying time for Martha, for Jack, for the people he loved. He was keeping the Master's attention, being the one to accept his anger and his frustration in a series of well played, if painful ploys to be careless and riridulously stupid. And the Master's arrogance never let him see it

[notsoperfect10]

Half an hour later and a small 'miscalculation' sent the glass of pear juice right off the deck, rolling to a grating and disappearing. "No!" the Doctor cried out, looking as glum as possible. "How'm I suppose to enjoy this toast now?"

All right, that was fake and overdoing it but sometimes, for the sake of theatrics, the Doctor had to live a little. The Master was being cruel on purpose, but those the Doctor hated pears, they didn't make him homicidal or anything like that.

Defiance, however, was to stick with him. He hoisted up the little bit of jam and threw it overboard.

It was satisfying.

[iehcsok]

The Master watched the defiance with an endearing look, like a little boy having a temper tantrum. Sighing, he cocked his head to the side and gave the Doctor a look of pity. "You don't like it? shame. I thought we could get breakfast out of the way. We have visitors coming in today and so do you! I thought I'd bring your playmate up."

Yes, he was referring to king freak. The freakshow of freaksville that stayed downstairs, wrong up everything he was near.

Sighing, the Master turned his head and shook it in a theatrical manner.

"How can you come and watch and even play if you're so very weak from your lack of breakfast. I try to do something nice," heaving a loud melodramatic sigh, he shook his head in annoyance.

[notsoperfect10]

The Doctor got to his feet though he hadn't been told he could. He stared half hearted at the Master before the gleam in his eyes started to worry him. He sat himself in the chair opposite the other man. Master. The Kim Jong Il of the Valiant. The genocidal Hitler of Earth.

Swallowing, the Doctor settled in and leaned across the table.

"Ooh, banana!" Lovely fruit, just a slice! But still worth it in the long run even if he was going to get his hand stabbed. "Who's coming on board?"

More Earth leaders?

[iehcsok]

"I've been so very neglectful of the Freak, I forgot he existed for a month. Whoops! Anyway, I decided to make it up to him. A party entirely in his honour with his friends-- minus one."

He wasn't sure who it was but his capture team had shot one of the women because she was being mouth and tried to shoot them. The Master thought that was only fair.

Dropping his head in his hands, the Masters smile made it painfully clear that this party was far from a good idea. In fact, odds are it would end horribly.

"I can't wait!"

[notsoperfect10]

As the banana pilfering had gone unnoticed, the Doctor took a bit of strawberry too. And then a spoonful of white pudding which was really very nice and some coffee before the Master mentioned the minus one.

The Doctor met some of Jack's friends. Briefly. A little looksee here or there, though always with another face and typically in another time. The Doctor swallowed down his bits of food with the coffee and set it back down on the table.

"Oh Master, what have you done?"

He'd get his answer sooner or later, when he was brought into the 'party room' where Lucy had spent the past hour in her dressing gown blowing up balloons.

[iehcsok]

Ha! The Master knew, he saw but he would soon make the Doctor pay for it. It was all being clocked up, each eaten and drunk item would come back to haunt him and the Master was going to make sure of it. But for now, he was in a good mood when he bounced off to get ready.

The party room was all set, Jack was chained to the wall in the corner, looking very grimy and horrible compared to everyone else. Lucy was sitting there with a bored expression and the Doctor had been handcuffed to one of the railings on the stairs, opposite Jack.

So they could talk... if they yelled across the room.

And, in the middle, the Master sat with a party hat on, it sat slanted on his head as he ate what appeared to be a plate of birthday cake.

"Is everyone in the party mood yet?"

[notsoperfect10]

"Absolutely not!" the Doctor said, wrinkling his nose. He was trying to prolong this as much as he could. "My hat clashes terribly. Can I switch with the Captain?" Worth a shot. Lucy rubbed at her jaw. When she first took the job as the Master's companion, as Harry Saxon's wife, she had no idea she'd spend her days and nights getting jaw pains because of the number of balloons she blew up!

The Master wasn't interested in her for sex at all, though she did try on occasion. A kiss or two only came in public. Generally when the Doctor was watching.

Well, at least she knew what it was like to be a trophy wife now?