soundsofdrums | 027 [accidental video]

Ow--watch it, you clumsy idiot! [So says the man who walked into a bear trap.]

You're a Time Lord. You'll heal. [Paraphrasing what the Master said to him when he broke his nose, but considerably colder.

He works in silence, cleaning the wound with...well, he's not really sure what it is, but Sarah Jane offered it, so it's probably not lethal. He's not exactly practiced at this, but he's doing his best.]

[He winces slightly because it still hurts, damnit, and the Doctor is a tad clumsy as usual.]

...Why are you here?

I live here. [Usually he'd apologize, but not now. He's all business. Cold and disconnected. He reaches down for a roll of gauze and lifts the Master's ankle up in order to wrap it properly. The tenderness of his actions completely undermine the stiffness and formality of his demeanor and speech.]

You know what I'm talking about, Doctor. [His own voice is surprisingly demure despite his bitterness.]

[He doesn't answer, instead wrapping the Master's ankle gently until he's satisfied. He cuts off the gauze and tapes it in place.]

And your hands. Let me see those.

Answer me. [Still, he holds out his hands, fingers also cut and bleeding due to his prying of the trap off of him.]

[He takes one hand in between both of his own, tracing his fingers gently around where the Master's cut himself. He begins to repeat the process for each injured finger.]

Because you're hurt.

I could easily have taken care of dressing the wounds myself.

[There's a disbelieving snort at that. The pad of his thumb strokes lightly over the Master's palm before he releases his hand and begins to treat the other.]

[He absentmindedly chews at his lip. Honestly, he's still upset at the Doctor storming off without giving him a chance to explain himself. Okay, so he would have been lying off his ass anyway, but that wasn't the point.

Logic. The Master has it.]

You're far too much of a sap for your own good.

[He's quiet for a moment, choosing instead to carefully wrap up the Master's ring finger.]

I take care of my own. I try to, anyway.

Your own? Am I supposed to belong to you now, then?

[He deliberately presses down on one of the deeper cuts, a flash of irritation crossing his face.]

No. I just meant...

Never mind. It doesn't matter.

Ow. ...And yes, Doctor, it does matter. What did you mean?

I don't even know. [He finishes bandaging up the other hand and holds it for a bit longer than necessary before releasing it.]

There. All done.

...Mm.

[His next words are incredibly quiet, muttered, almost inaudible.]

...Thank you.

[The Doctor was just about to stand up and go to his room before the Master spoke, and then he froze.]

...What did you say?

I'm not going to repeat myself.

Did you just...

[He shakes his head. This is just too confusing for him to handle. All his emotions are going absolutely haywire. It's because of the Animus, surely. Because...there's no way...]

You're welcome.

[He's still angry, Doctor. But he might just like the fact that you came running when he was injured, and he might have been silently listening to your argument with Amy and juuuuust might have been slightly touched by your words, and...well.

He doesn't say anything else just yet, but simply gets up and makes his way off to the kitchen with a bit of a limp.]

[And he's still upset, Master. But he's not about to ask any more questions for now. He's exhausted, not physically but mentally, so when the Master gets up he doesn't bother to ask where he's going or why he's walking on that leg. He just sinks into the couch and lets his eyes close, feeling a kitten curl up into his lap. The nibble on his thumb lets him know its Koschei.]

[It's about ten minutes or so later until the Master returns, and when he does, he's carrying two cups of tea. One of them is silently handed over to the Doctor.

...stupid git.]

[The mug is accepted with something akin to astonishment. What...was happening? His world was being turned upside down bit by bit and now nothing made any sense at all.

He knew better than to ask. He wouldn't get a straight answer out of the Master. Instead he murmured a surprisingly heartsfelt "thank you" before sipping at his tea. It's the good kind, the kind they're nearly out of, and that only serves to surprise him more.]

[It's about as nice as the Master is willing to be right now. The Master took a seat next to him, sipping at his tea as Theta curled up in his lap, which was...apparently the kitten's favorite place to chill. Whatever.]

Don't get used to it.

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