Look To The Future Now

"This thing about being a rebel, being an outsider, also has its price. I always took a step away from everyone else. (...) That’s just how I was. I didn’t join our school trip in the ninth grade and I didn’t go to the graduation either, because I didn’t want to join in. I didn't belong there. Even now in adulthood when I have a lot of things that I should be happy about and I’m really as far from all that as possible, I still have… I don’t know if it’s a nightmare, but I have a recurring dream where I’m still that age and I’m at home, alone, feeling as if I shouldn’t be there, that I should be where the others are but I'm not."

- Tobias Forge, Sweden Rock Mag 2020

"It's so important to spend time together, and have fun together, smiling together, feeling you're belonging somewhere, don't you think? It is a wonderful feeling. I've always felt that if I just got to the end of the rainbow, whatever is there, I will find belonging... And I'm assuming that this is it. The belonging that we're sharing."

- Papa Emeritus IV's speech in Indianapolis 8/22/2023

You Don’t Mean It

Dhawan!Master x Reader

Summary - The Master is living on The Doctor’s TARDIS and grows close to the Reader, but he refuses to believe that you could possibly have feelings for him.

Based On This Request -

Warnings - Self-deprecating thoughts and self-esteem issues on The Master’s part. Me making up alien planets and creatures.

Word Count - 3270

A/n - Gender Neutral Reader. This is a bit of an AU where all of Whittaker!Doctor’s companions are travelling together. This was also a request from my old Tumblr, but I got another idea, so I decided to write it, too. I hope that you enjoy it.

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The Master thought that this was all a dream. He had been alone for so long. The only things in his life were pain, death, revenge, betrayal and loneliness. Now he had a group of people who didn’t hate him. ‘Friends’ was probably too strong of a word, he knew that, but at least he wasn’t alone anymore. 

The Master couldn’t help but spiral sometimes; thinking that all of this was a dream, and he would wake up alone again. Or, even worse, he was plotting a revenge plan on the planet Hypnos and a Ypnyotic Worm had burrowed into his brain and was now injecting him with its poisonous and hypnotic venom. So, all of this could be a fever dream. Even though he liked not being alone anymore, he could easily move on if he found out that the life he had been living with The Doctor and her little companions was all a dream. He would not be able to move on from you so easily, however. 

You were the opposite of him. When The Master still denied his feelings for you, he tried to compare you to The Doctor and any of her pets, past or present, but he was never able to make a successful comparison. You were uniquely yourself. You were bright and lively, even during your bad days, you always tried to make the best of any situation. But you weren't afraid to talk back and confront The Doctor, unlike a lot of her pets. The Master loved that about you. You wanted to see the Universe, but you weren’t desperate to have The Doctor love you. 

Along with your alluring personality, The Master had a soft spot for you. You were the first person to reach out to The Master once he joined The TARDIS crew, to try and extend the olive branch of peace to him. The Doctor didn’t even need to ask you to, like how she had to ask the rest of her companions to do so. You just wanted him to feel welcomed. You couldn’t imagine how difficult an adjustment this must have been for him and, considering the fact that everyone else aboard were distancing themselves from him, you didn’t want to add to the dogpile of negativity.

Now, the two of you were like two peas in a pod, doing almost everything together. You both even had a set routine. You would help him cook breakfast for the companions and The Doctor and then after all of you ate, you and The Master would go to the library. There you would either choose books for the other to read, pick a book and read together silently by the library fireplace, or read aloud to each other. Sometimes though, even though the two of you would choose books to read, you would not read them. Instead, you would continue the conversations you began while making breakfast until it was time for lunch. 

You were late today, however. The Doctor was off doing whatever, and her other companions were still asleep, so your routine wasn’t that horribly and inconveniently skewed, but The Master was worried. You were never late. You voiced to him, one morning, that you only kept the schedule for him because he was so particular, but you were still always on time. 

Just as The Master grew tired of waiting and prepared to make his way to your room to see what was up with you, you walked through the doorway of the kitchen. You jumped a bit when you saw how upset and tense he looked, staring down the doorway. He tried to calm down quickly. He didn’t want you to think that he was mad at you, he was just worried. But he still had questions for you and your lateness.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes! Of course. I was just thinking and pacing in my room and lost track of time. I’m sorry for being late. Do you have something planned for breakfast today?” You grabbed your apron and put it on, all the while rambling and walking briskly through the room with barely a glance cast to the Time Lord. The Master didn’t respond to your follow-up questioning and instead walked over to you to look you in the eye.

“If something is wrong, you can tell me.” The Master awkwardly placed his hand on your shoulder. 

“I know that things might be a bit unusual, but I thought that we have been growing close.”

“Nothing’s wrong, Master. I would tell you if something was bothering me, I promise.” You smiled sincerely towards the rebel Time Lord, and he seemed to believe you even though he was still curious about your strange behaviour. So, the two of you decided to play normal and prepare breakfast as you usually did. The Master entertained you with various embarrassing stories of The Doctor and numerous stories that painted The Master to be a great warrior. You loved hearing The Master’s tales, but despite the fun you were having, you couldn’t help but think back to the realisation you had made that morning. 

You woke up more excited to make breakfast with The Master than you had ever before. You just thought that you were lonely, The Master being one person on the TARDIS to take the time to truly understand you. But when you were in the shower, you realised the difference in your feelings. You had fallen in love with The Master. You panicked. You were excited for yourself but quickly became fearful that The Master would never reciprocate. So, you paced around your room and thought of how you were going to handle this situation. You resolved to just play along with the friendship you and The Master had formed and hide your feelings for as long as possible. That’s when you noticed that you were late, so you ran to the TARDIS kitchen to keep up appearances.

You and The Master were almost finished with breakfast. The two of you had made this breakfast several times, so despite the delay, you finished the meal basically on time. After the meal was prepared and the table was set, you would be the one to notify the rest of the companions and The Doctor that breakfast was ready. The TARDIS had placed a large pull-down lever on the furthest wall of the kitchen that would set off a string of chimes and bells in everyone’s rooms. If anyone wasn’t in their room, the TARDIS would notify them herself after you pulled the lever. 

So, you made your way to the device. The Master stopped, however. He grabbed your arm softly and turned you back around to face him. You gave him a questioning look and The Master opened his mouth to speak. He closed his mouth, clueless of what to say, and stood in thought for a moment before finally speaking.

“I meant what I said earlier, Y/n. If something is wrong or you just need to talk about something, I’ll be here if you need me. You’ve been here for me more than necessary. I would like to return the favour.”

“Master, I want …” You trail off when The Master moves his hand up to your face and brushes the pad of his thumb over your cheek. Your eyes locked onto his. It could have been the atmospheric yellow lighting that permeated The Doctor’s TARDIS, but you could have sworn that The Master’s pupils dilated.

“You had a bit of flour on your face.” You nod in understanding but turn away quickly to hide your warming face. Upon turning, you see The Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham and Dan all standing awkwardly in the second doorway of the kitchen. You didn’t know how much of the encounter they observed, but judging their open-mouthed and questioning faces, you assumed that they had seen enough to come to their own conclusions about your relationship with The Master. The Doctor coughed to defuse the tension and barreled past her companions to get to her seat as fast as possible.

“What wonderful breakfast will we be enjoying today, then?”

Despite The Doctor’s attempt to lighten the mood, she was unsuccessful. All of you mainly ate in silence, except for when the Doctor would feel awkward with the silence and try to ramble her way out of it. The Master would always roll his eyes when The Doctor would do this. You always managed to catch him when he would do that, causing you to giggle a bit and try to hide your face from him and your friends. 

The Master kept looking at you throughout the meal, though, mainly wondering what you were thinking. He loved the giggles he would cause, but he knew something was different with you today and he inspected every part of your demeanour for a hint of what could be troubling you. You didn’t seem upset like you had just received bad news. You looked calm, more so like you came to a realisation and are happy about what you just realised. He hoped that it was something about him, but you probably didn’t think of him as anything other than a charity case. 

The Doctor and her companions finished up their breakfasts and gradually walked out of the kitchen to go about days. Thankfully today was a calm day without a set adventure, so you could all just do as you pleased. Yaz was the last to exit the room, dragging The Doctor out behind her. They seemed close. And you didn’t seem to care or notice. All you did was finish eating your own meal before beginning to clear up the table. So, The Master calmed himself when he ruled out jealously from his list of possibilities for why you might have been upset this morning. 

The Master had noticed over his time in the TARDIS that you didn’t appear to have a crush on anyone on board, you mostly hung out around him, even on adventures. Maybe you realised that you liked someone? The Master assumed that you probably liked someone back on Earth, definitely not him. Why would you like him?

When you and The Master began to curate this routine of yours, the two of you agreed with the other to do the clean-up after breakfast. The Doctor and her companions, but especially The Doctor, were surprised that The Master would demean himself by washing the dishes, but unknownst to all of them, The Master just liked hanging out with you. The general schedule eventually extended to the rest of The Doctor’s companions cooking lunch and dinner either going out or the two groups would take turns. 

The quietness between the two of you continued while you washed up, but there was an excitement hidden in your actions. Both you and The Master loved the next part of the routine, going to the library. 

Thankfully, you and The Master didn’t walk to the library in silence. Upon leaving the kitchen and starting your journey to the library, you sparked up a conversation about The Master’s childhood. The Master was shocked, at first. He wondered why you would want to learn about his past. But he had opened up to you about his time on Gallifrey before, so he brushed it off as you just being curious.

Upon entering the library, you went your separate ways searching for the best book for the other. You went off to the section of the library you could actually read. The Master could read almost anything in the library, but he chose to stay close to you, observing you to see if everything was truly okay.

The Master looked at you through the missing books on the bookshelf. He smiled when you scratched an itch on the tip of your nose adorably. Then shook his head in fear; he realised what that thought meant. He had had these thoughts before, but for some reason, his brain didn’t make the greater connection. He conjectured with himself that he most likely didn’t realise his feelings for you because he was relishing in the feeling of no longer being alone. The fact that you were late this morning made him anxious. He feared that you were hurt, lost, or just bored of him. He couldn’t stand any of those possibilities. Especially the thought that you would no longer wish to be around him one day. He assumed that that would happen, though.

The Master looked down at the book in his hands, but he was not looking at anything in particular. The Master was too lost in thought to pay attention to anything. He was too distracted by you and the thought of being with you and how to make you feel better today.

You found your book and motioned to The Master, but he didn’t notice you through the bookshelf. You walked around the bookshelf, trying to get The Master’s attention. You called out to him multiple times, but he just stood in the middle of the aisle, holding a book loosely and staring at his feet. You reached out to gently grab his arm. He jolted at your touch; his eyes fluttered around before finally landing on your eyes. 

“Did something happen? Are you okay?” The Master blinked in response, still a bit confused after being drawn out of his imagination.

“Of course I’m okay. Did you find a book?”

“Yeah, what about you? Are you ready to sit down?”

“I’m not really interested in anything today.”

“Oh. Do you want to call it a day?”

“Do you?”

“No. I like spending the days with you, Master. Do you want to read with me? Or we can do something else.”

“I can read to you if you want. Like I did when you were sick a couple of weeks ago with Tarrairiuum Flu.” 

“I’d love that, Master!” You bounced on the balls of your feet before excitedly pulling him toward your favourite sofa. He stumbled a bit but recovered quickly and followed you, continuing to hold your hand tightly. He wondered if you were just doing this to cheer him up. If all you were doing, the entire time he had been staying on The Doctor’s TARDIS, was tricking him into feeling things. If you were tricking him into being a better person. Tricking him into not scheming. Tricking him to love you. All to appease The Doctor. You couldn’t love him. You just couldn't. He was a monster. 

You manoeuvred the Master to where he was lying down on the sofa by the now lit fireplace thanks to The TARDIS. He couldn’t tear his eyes from you the entire time. When The Master was finally settled, you grabbed a quilt that was thrown over a nearby chair. You crawled over The Master and cuddled into his side with your head on his chest, just like you had when you were sick. The beats of his hearts gave you so much comfort to you then and now.

“Comfortable?” The Master questioned with a smirk.

“Very.”

“Good.” The Master adjusted a bit to open the book you had chosen and began to read.

You stared at him for a moment. His voice always made you feel so many things at once. There was a softness to it that always relaxed you. When he was excited, you could tell in his tone, and it always made you happy to see him joyful. You would always laugh when he would make a sarcastic comment about The Doctor in your ear, there was always jealous gravel laced in his speech. He always sounded so beautiful to you. 

His soft yet slightly chapped lips moved steadily as he read the words of your favourite book. He was about to finish the chapter, and you moved impossibly closer to him. He finished the chapter with gravitas and made you excited for the next chapter even though you had read the book many, many times. He partially closed the book, one of his hands being used as a placeholder. You took his unoccupied stance as an opportunity to kiss his cheek in a moment of love and impulsiveness. A smile broke out on your face when you saw his flabbergasted expression. That was a look you had never seen on his beautiful face before.

“Why did you do that, Y/n?” He sounded scared and worried. Two feelings you never heard him express except for this morning.

“Because I wanted to, Master.”

“Don’t play with me, Y/n.”

“But what if you are so much fun to play with?” You teased and giggled. But The Master’s expression only darkened and grew more serious, so you dropped the joking attitude. 

“What’s wrong, Master?”

“You don’t mean it. So, I don’t find your teasing funny.” The Master snapped his head back to the book, but only because he couldn’t look you in the eye as you rejected him.

“But I do mean it.”

“No, you don’t. Don’t pretend just to make me feel better.”

“Okay, I’m going to stop this before we just bicker back and forth. What will it take for you to believe me, Master?”

“I don’t know.” The Master mumbled sulkingly. You stared at him for a bit longer, upset by how defeated he looked. You moved to kiss his cheek, but you moved slowly to give him the opportunity to push you away. He didn’t move away, so you kissed his cheek again. Then his jaw, then his chin, then his nose, and then his forehead. You could feel his breath quicken and his hearts beat more rapidly.

When you looked back at him, he looked even sadder and broken than before. That was the opposite effect that you wanted.  You kissed his nose one more time then nuzzled your nose against his then placed your forehead against his forehead. He closed his eyes, relishing in the physical contact. Physical contact that he had never received so passion-filled before.

“You can read my mind if you want. If it will prove to you that I am genuine and that I do love you.” His eyes popped open when you said the word love.

“No. I don’t think I need to now.” You wouldn't have offered to have him rummage through your mind if you were lying. 

You moved back, but The Master followed you. He brought his free hand up to cradle your face, occasionally his thumb would brush against your lips.

“Can I kiss you?” You nodded, smiling, and uttered a breathy ‘yes, Master’ before The Master softly pulled the two of you back together. His lips were as soft as they looked as they danced with yours. You regrettably had to pull away to breathe, though, but you giggled when you saw The Master smiling at you.

“I like seeing a smile on your face. Especially when I know that I am the cause of it.”

“I could say the same thing to you, Master.”

“Is this why you were late? Creating a little scheme in order to get me to kiss you?” You giggled again at The Master’s now proud and teasing attitude.

“Well, how else would I get you to kiss me?”

“You little minx!” The Master smirked before attacking you with neck kisses. You began laughing again when The Master’s attack caused you to fall backwards onto the sofa. The TARDIS made sure to lock the library doors and direct The Doctor and her companions away from the library that morning.

I should have said this sooner, but I broke my computer so that is why have been absent

I do the majority of my writing and editing on my computer

But I should be getting a new laptop soon and then I should be back to a decent posting schedule

I have fic ideas thanks to The Power of The Doctor.

But an am fragile right now

But if you have ideas or just want to talk about the episode, feel free to reach out!

when you get this, please respond with five things that make you happy! then, send to your last ten people in your notifs (anonymously). you never know who might benefit from spreading positivity♡

1. Creative Media

I love music, movies, tv shows, art, books, fanfiction, I love it all! It always relaxes me and makes me feel better. I am so thankful to the people who make creative content (especially the fanfic authors!)

2. My family, friends, and my partner

They are literally some of the most supportive people I have ever met! I don't want to get too into my personal life, but I have been through a lot, and I used to not have the best people around me. But the people in my life now are so supportive and kind and have helped me so much. I am unbelievably thankful to have them in my life.

3. My cat Thomas

Very cute. Very cuddly. Loves ear rubs. And loves chancing balls of light and shadows. He is an adorable idiot and I love him!

4. Chocolate, mac and cheese, garlic bread

Three of my favourite comfort foods; some of my favourite things to eat after a bad day.

5. Cafes and Bookstores

Since the pandemic, I have had a really hard time going out without my anxiety spiking. I've been getting better about everything, but it was really bad at one point. However, going to cafes and bookstores, either in my hometown or on a day trip, really helped me get back used to going out again. I always found them comforting and I still do, but their calmness and atmosphere helped me a lot in the "post-pandemic" stage we are in. (I still think that we are in the middle of the pandemic, but the CDC apparently disagrees with me)

“They thought we were done.” “He-ha-hoho… No way, baby.” “We’re back.”

Ryan And Shane’s New Ghost Hunting Show: GHOST FILES (Coming 2022)

Secrets

Pairing: Dh!Master x Reader

Word Count: 4900

Summary: The Doctor and the fam are hanging out on the TARDIS one day when they realise they haven’t seen you or The Master all day, none of them quite expect the sight that greets them when they find you.

Warnings: none

A/N: Reader is gender neutral in this. Also yay! I finally have time to write and post! I have a lot of fics planned, so hopefully I’ll be able to find the time to write them over winter break, tho I do have a shit ton of uni work still to do 😅

It was quiet, that wasn’t completely unusual on the TARDIS, but considering the recent addition of The Master to Team TARDIS it had The Doctor on edge. He’d begrudgingly joined them on their adventures after The Doctor had come across him moping about at the edge of a deserted galaxy, The Master hadn’t even been destroying anything, he was just sitting all alone on what he’d called an unimportant planet. The Doctor, of course, had been concerned by his uncharacteristic behaviour and had forced encouraged him to join them aboard the TARDIS. Understandably, her fam had objected, especially after he started to occupy himself by finding as many ways to inconvenience her friends as possible.

It had been eight months since The Master had joined them, and he had yet to stop annoying Graham, Ryan and Yaz - despite the numerous interventions and talks she had had with him about it. Much to The Doctor’s surprise, she never found you complaining about The Master’s antics, though she had suspected that he had developed a bit of a soft spot for you. After all, you had been the first out of her friends to welcome him - probably helped by the fact that you joined the group after The Master revealed himself, and thus only met him eight months back.

Recently The Doctor realised that she’d grown used to this new normal, that she was used to the occasional yelling of her friends after The Master had yet again hid half of their clothes, or simply jump-scared them - often accompanied by The Master’s maniacal laughter. However, she had yet to hear anything like that this morning, not one complaint about missing items from her fam, not one cackle out of The Master, she hadn’t even seen anyone all morning.

It was almost peaceful.

Which definitely meant that something was wrong.

Quickly The Doctor got up, abandoned her tools, and headed in the direction of the kitchen. It was about lunchtime, which meant that her friends would probably be gathered together making food, she just hoped that one of them would have seen The Master. Of course, she’d usually just ask the TARDIS where he was, but the circuits she’d been upgrading were the internal communication circuits, so that was currently out of the question.

“FAM!” The Doctor exclaimed as soon as she rounded the corner, standing dramatically in the doorway to the kitchen.

All of her friends had startled as soon as she appeared, it made her feel bad, but she currently had more pressing matters to focus on.

“Have any of you seen The Master today?!”

“…uh, no?” Ryan was the first to answer, still looking a little shocked from her entrance but trying to play it cool.

Graham took a dramatic sigh before answering, “Not yet luckily.”

“I haven’t either, why’re you asking?” Yaz replied, pausing making her lunch and turning all of her attention to The Doctor.

“It’s quiet, too quiet, and I haven’t seen him since last night. Which most likely means that he’s up to something.”

Graham groaned, “Why do we have to assume he’s up to something? Can’t we at least wait until after lunch to assume he’s doing something evil?”

The Doctor simply gave him a look, causing him to groan again, though he put his sandwich down. However she was quickly distracted by a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, she was missing something, something obvious. She looked back at her friends, and then she realised.

“Where’s Y/N?”

Her friends seemed to only notice your absence once it was pointed out, all looking around the room before looking back at The Doctor with blank faces.

“I haven’t seen them since last night.” Yaz told her.

“Me neither.” Ryan and Graham agreed with her.

Suddenly The Doctor felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. You were clearly The Master’s favourite out of the fam, what if he’d done something to you? Naively, The Doctor had hoped he was developing a soft spot for you - but what if it was simply an obsession? What if this had been his plan all along, to get close enough to harm you?

The fam seemed to come to a similar conclusion, horror dawning on all their faces.

“You don’t think-“

The Doctor didn’t give Ryan an answer, just turned around and ran through the TARDIS halls. She’d been at the TARDIS console most of the night, so at least she knew the two of you were still on board. Her first instinct was to head to the library, both you and The Master spent a fair amount of time there, it would have been the perfect place for an ambush.

The Doctor slowed once she entered the library, and she could hear the footsteps of her fam slow down as well. The library was surprisingly quiet as well, but The Doctor was still on edge. The fam followed her and she weaved her way through the aisles, coming to a sudden stop right before the rows of bookshelves gave way to one of the reading areas.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted them. On one of the plush purple sofas The Master was laying down, fast asleep. That in itself would have been enough to shock The Doctor. However he wasn’t alone, you were laying next to him, curled into his side and fast asleep as well.

Huh.

The Doctor had known that The Master was developing a soft spot for you, but she definitely didn’t suspect anything like this. It was almost cute.

“Are they- Are they actually cuddling?” Graham was the first to speak, slightly startling the rest of them despite his voice being barely above a whisper.

“Uhhh… yeah, certainly seems like it.”

“Does anyone else think this is horrifying yet adorable?” Yaz queried, gaining agreement from the rest of them. “Glad it’s not just me.”

“What do we do? Do we wake them up?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah, what if he’s done that hypno- whatsit on Y/N?” Graham butted in.

“Hypnotism, I mean it would be a very odd thing to hypnotise Y/N to do, but we can’t rule it out I suppose.” The Doctor’s thoughts were zipping around in her brains, desperately trying to find all the signs she missed.

And there was so much she missed.

The Master’s ‘practical jokes’ had been lessening lately - both in frequency and maliciousness. The Doctor had chalked this up to him finally starting to settle in properly, but maybe that was the result of him spending more time with you? She hadn’t seen you around as much either, but with four humans plus The Master on board, she had hardly noticed. Then, the most obvious, there was the fact that the two of you had started to pair off more on adventures. Honestly, she had just thought that you were becoming good friends!

Maybe you were just friends? After all, friends were allowed to hug each other. Sure, the position you were in definitely leant more towards romantic entanglement rather than platonic, but that didn’t always mean something.

Just when The Doctor was about to reply, she and the fam were distracted by movement on the couch. You stretched slightly, but then snuggled even closer to The Master, your face smushing into his neck as you smiled. In turn The Master hummed contentedly, somehow bringing you even closer and wrapping his arms around you protectively. The Doctor could have sworn she saw a smile on his face.

Okay, probably not just friends.

The Doctor didn’t know what to do, she hadn’t considered this possibility. Regrettably, she was not prepared for The Master being romantically involved with you at all, which meant that she needed time to think. Putting a finger up to her lips, she turned to her companions and gestured for them to return the way they had came. For now, you and The Master had no clue that the rest of them knew about whatever was going on between the two of you. So, she had time to think, to observe the two of you, to find out if he was hypnotising or manipulating you, or if whatever this was was something genuine on both your parts.

Once they were back out in the hallway The Doctor explained everything to the other members of the fam, all of them agreeing to keep an eye on the two of you. The Doctor then walked off back to the console room, she needed to be alone with her thoughts for a little while.

——

You were warm and cosy, that was what you registered first. Of course, it wasn’t unusual to be warm and cosy when you woke up, but these days it was a new constant in your life, all because of one (alien) man. The Master.

When he had come onboard the TARDIS eight months ago you, you would have never imagined how your relationship developed. He’d pissed you off at first, especially since most of his ‘pranks’ had been directed at you. Once he had decided to take all of your jumpers and hoodies, just after you had returned from a particularly frosty adventure in Antarctica, causing you to confront him.

“You!” You sneered accusingly at The Master, who was lounged on one of the sofas in the library.

He placed his book down and raised an eyebrow, “Can I help you?”

“Give me my jumpers and hoodies back, now.” You tried to sound demanding, but you were still shivering from the lingering cold.

“No.” He smirked at you.

“No? What do you mean no?! I’m cold! I need layers to keep warm!” You pouted at him, unable to keep up the scary demeanour.

He chuckled slightly, “Well, that’s easily solved.” And then he lifted up the blanket that was laying over him and shuffled to make room for you.

You simply stood there in shock, not quite believing that The Master of all beings was inviting you to cuddle with him!

“Come on love, if you stand there any longer you’ll probably end up freezing to death.”

Hesitantly, you stepped closer and closer to the sofa, until you were stood inches from The Master, looking down at him. He offered his hand to you, and you gave him yours in turn. Then, slowly, he pulled you down into his hold, and covered you with the blanket. With his warmth enveloping you, you soon stopped shivering, though you didn’t leave him.

After that, cuddles in the TARDIS library became a regular for the two of you, soon turning into cuddles and kisses in your respective bedrooms, sneakily holding hands on adventures, and being there for one another behind closed doors. You loved him, not that you had told him yet, but you truly did.

Part of your hesitancy towards telling him was due to the fact that you were still keeping your relationship hidden from your friends. It wasn’t as though you didn’t want to tell your friends, you just didn’t know how to tell them, and you were scared for their reactions.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of your mind you stretched and finally opened your eyes. Your first sight was The Master, still asleep, and you took a moment to appreciate him. Then you took in your surroundings and your heart leapt in your chest as you realised you had fallen asleep in the library, where anyone could have walked in.

“Master.” You shook him slightly.

He woke with a questioning hum, sleepy eyes looking at you with curiosity.

“We fell asleep in the library.” You half-whispered.

“…And?” The Master replied.

“Anyone could have walked in and seen us!”

“Mm, but they didn’t love, otherwise we would have been woken up.” He told you, his voice still rough from sleep, as he pulled you closer again.

You didn’t reply, instead giving him a worried look. He sighed and sat up, moving you with him.

“It’ll be okay love,” He cupped your face with both his hands, observing you until he seemed satisfied that you believed his words - and you did believe him, even if you needed a little reassurance sometimes.

The Master smiled at you, “Come on, shower and breakfast is in order.”

“More like brunch by now.” You retorted, checking your phone to see that it was already past 11am.

The Master chuckled and lead you out of the library.

——

In the past week, nothing out of the ordinary had happened, at least nothing that was out of the ordinary for your life. A couple of trips back in time, a couple adventures on distant planets, an ungodly amount of running, and sneaking into The Master’s bedroom once your friends had gone to sleep each night. Yep, completely ordinary week for you.

Which is why your friends’ strange behaviour made absolutely no sense.

You couldn’t quite explain it, but they’d been acting weird around you, jumpy as though they were keeping something from you. However there weren’t any holidays coming up and your birthday had already passed this year, so their weird behaviour was worrying you.

You’d tried asking all of them about it individually, The Doctor had pretended not to hear while doing some engineering on the TARDIS, and the other three had come up with various excuses that you didn’t believe. It frustrated you that something was wrong but they weren’t willing to tell you. Luckily, you still had one person on the TARDIS who wasn’t acting weird around you.

You knocked on The Master’s door and let yourself in. His living space was becoming one of your favourite rooms on the TARDIS, it had dark wood panelled walls and an overall regal look with lots of purple accents. There was also a lot of clutter, mostly little projects and pieces for said projects. Occasionally you’d ask him about whatever he was working on, and he’d talk you through his whole process (secretly you’d only ask him to hear his voice, but he didn’t need to know that). He’d also gotten used to you being in his rooms, hence why you walked right in.

The Master was sat on his couch, reading a book that he placed on an end table once he saw you.

“Hello, love.” He grinned at you, making room for you to sit down next to him.

“Hello Master,” You smiled at him, cuddling into his chest as he wrapped an arm around you.

He hummed and nuzzled your neck, “How are you today, my darling?”

The combination of the pet name and him speaking so close to your ear caused you to shiver. It almost got rid of the knot of worry that had nestled itself in you, almost. The Master seemed to notice something was wrong, as he pulled back slightly so he could look at you properly.

“Have you noticed the others being kind of… off, this week?” You queried, not quite knowing how to word it.

“Quite honestly love, I don’t pay much attention to anyone else on this ship.” He smirked, and you rolled your eyes.

“You and I both know that’s not true, you may not like Ryan, Graham or Yaz, but they’re still my friends - which means you still keep an eye on them at the very least.” You retorted.

“Mmm, you know me so well.” He leaned in to kiss your cheek, causing you to relax further into him.

It had surprised you, at first, just how physically affectionate The Master was. You’d assumed after the first cuddle session that it would be a one off, that he’d kill you if you ever mentioned it to anyone (not that they’d believe you), but he’d only gotten more and more cuddly as your relationship had grown.

“Okay, yes, I have noticed they were behaving stranger than usual this week. I’d just assumed it was something to do with me, and I didn’t care enough to find out what.”

“Definitely not just you, they’ve been weird around me too. I tried to ask them what was wrong but they all made up little excuses and scurried off. The Doctor even pretended she didn’t hear me!” You exclaimed gesturing wildly, “I just- they’re my friends, and I’ve obviously done something to upset them, but I don’t know what!”

You flopped back into The Master’s hold and sighed, for a moment he simply held you close, rubbing circles on your back.

“Look, whatever it is they’ll probably get over it soon enough. It can’t be that bad if they’re still talking to you.” He reassured you, already helping you feel much calmer than you had all week.

“But, what if they found out about us somehow?”

“The Doctor probably would have kicked me off the TARDIS already love, and your friends would have helped her.” You glared at him, unamused.

“No they wouldn’t, I wouldn’t let them.”

The Master’s expression softened.

“Of course not love, I’m just teasing. I’m sure that whatever it is will be forgotten about soon enough.”

“Hopefully.”

“In the meantime, would it perhaps help if I could take your mind off them for a while?” The Master suggested, leaning in to kiss you again.

“Hmm, I think it might.” You replied with a giggle, kissing him back eagerly.

——

As The Master had predicted, your friends soon went back to normal. You still had no clue what had caused their strange behaviour, but you didn’t bring it up again. Instead you focused on your adventures and your relationship with The Master, separately of course.

After a few rather hectic adventures, The Doctor had decided that you all needed a bit of a break, in the form of a 38th century cruise spaceship. The Doctor had explained that there were many fun activities taking place on the cruise, but the main one was the ball. An evening of dancing, eating and socialising to help you and the rest of the fam relax a bit.

You were all looking forward to it, and you could tell The Master was excited too - not that he acted like it. Sometimes you thought he tried a little too hard to protect his reputation, but then you remembered just how lucky you were that he allowed you to see the real him when so many others were denied the chance.

Currently, you were in the TARDIS wardrobe getting ready for the ball with the others. You had elected to wear a simple black suit with a dark purple lining and accents, partially because you liked the look of it, and partially because you thought it would go with whatever The Master decided to wear. You may be hiding your relationship from your friends, but you still wanted the subtle sign that he was yours (and you were his in turn). Exiting your dressing room you smiled at Graham and The Doctor, both wearing suits as well.

“Nice suit, it suits you!” The Doctor told you, looking very pleased with her terrible pun.

You rolled your eyes and huffed out a laugh while Graham simply groaned. Ryan exited next, wearing a suit as well, tho it had a neon-coloured cubic pattern speckled over it. Then The Master exited.

He was wearing a black suit as well, though it had flowers embroidered in dark grey thread on it. He’d paired it with a reddish-purple waistcoat, a matching bow tie, and a dark grey shirt. He looked stunning, and in that moment you found yourself yearning for the freedom of a more public relationship, simply so you could tell him just how good you thought he looked. Instead you raked your eyes over his body and gave him an appreciative look, knowing he’d understand.

To your surprise he seemed to do the same to you, his eyes studying your appearance in a way that made you blush slightly, and giving you a far more suggestive look than you had given him. He was usually very subtle about your relationship, especially in front of The Doctor, but you weren’t going to complain in this moment.

Just then Yaz walked out of her dressing room, though your eyes lingered on The Master for a few moments longer. Taking advantage of the distraction, The Master winked at you, causing you to grin coyly before finally turning your attention to Yaz.

She was wearing a lovely rose gold coloured dress, it wasn’t overly flashy or attention grabbing, but you knew she’d still get a fair amount of admiration at the ball (though you suspected most of that would come from The Doctor).

The Doctor soon lead you all out of the wardrobe into the console room, piloting to your destination. You gazed in awe at the ship once the doors opened, it was decorated in a baroque-esque style and almost made you feel as though you didn’t quite belong in the ship. Still, you followed The Doctor through the hallways until you came to the ballroom. It was stunning, the room itself had the same baroque-esque look to it, though it was even more extravagant. Instinctively, you looked back to The Master and grinned, gaining a soft smile in return.

“Alright fam, all the food and drink should be good for human consumption - but if you’re unsure just ask! Let’s say two hours of mingling, then we’ll reconvene back here?” The Doctor addressed you all, gaining agreement before everyone started to dart off in different directions.

You had hoped that you would get some time alone with The Master, unfortunately it seemed that Yaz had other ideas as she invited you over to the bar with her to get some drinks.

An hour later you had finally managed to ditch your friends, it wasn’t as though you didn’t like hanging out with them - of course you did - but at an event like this you’d rather spend time with your partner. Once you found him you felt yourself relax, previously unaware of how tense you’d been without him. Larger social gatherings like this definitely made you anxious, but having The Master by your side helped a lot, mostly because you knew he’d never let anything bad happen to you.

He smiled at you and then nodded his head to the entrance. Intrigued, you followed him as he lead you out of the ballroom.

“Where are we going, Master?” You queried, grabbing a hold of his hand.

“You’ll see.”

Eventually the two of you came to another ballroom, though it was completely empty. There was a layer of dust over every surface, giving you the impression that this room hadn’t been used in a long time. The distant music from the party echoed through the halls into the ballroom giving it a haunted feel, but not a creepy kind of haunted, mor like the sort of haunted feeling you got from a placed that had so clearly been loved once, as though that love and warmth was still living in the walls.

After looking around the room you turned back to The Master, only to find him stood with one hand behind his back and the other stretched out towards you.

“Care to dance, my love?” He asked you charmingly, causing you to blush wildly.

“Of course, Master.” You replied, taking his hand eagerly and grinning.

He pulled you in close and began to guide you through a waltz, in time with the music from the ballroom. In that moment you felt as though you could spend the rest of your life with him, even if it was just the two of you alone in the universe, you’d always feel content by his side. That realisation seemed to finally give you the boost of confidence you had needed.

“I love you.”

The Master stopped dancing, looking at you with a mix of shock and awe.

“What?”

“I love you, Master. You don’t have to say it back, I just wanted you to know.” You told him truthfully.

“I love you too, so much.” He replied, grinning wide with tears in his eyes.

The Master leant in to kiss you, and your lips met his halfway. You’d kissed him hundreds of times before, but this time felt different, it felt perfect. The two of you started dancing again, still keeping in time with the music but completely lost in each other’s presence. The Master moved his arm around your waist, you rested your head on his shoulder and let the world fall away around the two of you.

——

The Doctor had been keeping a close eye on both you and The Master in the past few weeks, and to her surprise she had seen nothing sinister, nothing potentially dangerous. In fact, all she had seen was subtle glances and secretive smiles between the two of you, she’d caught both of you looking at the other while they were distracted, and neither of you had anything but love to look at each other with. On one occasion she’d even seen the two of you holding hands when faced with a particularly terrifying enemy!

The Doctor had known The Master for nearly his whole life, and therefore always knew that he had a softer side to him. What she never expected was for him to develop feelings for a human, considering his general hatred of Earth’s sentient inhabitants. She’d had her reservations at first, knowing full well that whatever was going on between the two of you could just be another one of his schemes. However, given how secretive the two of you were, and all the little interactions she’d witnessed, The Doctor believed that The Master had genuine feelings for you.

Nevertheless, The Doctor had continued to keep on the eye on the two of you - just in case. Therefore, she noticed pretty quickly when the both of you disappeared from the ballroom. At the end of the day The Master was still The Master, no matter how much progress he had seemed to make these past few months. Luckily, the rest of her fam had noticed your disappearances as well.

“Come on fam.” The Doctor started to lead the way out of the ballroom.

“Doc, are you sure we should go looking for them, I mean what if they’re, y’know…” Graham asked, looking rather uncomfortable.

“Snogging?” Ryan snickered.

“Yes, we should, because there’s still a chance that Y/N could be in danger.”

The Doctor continued on through the halls, looking through each of the rooms to see if she could find the two of you. Finally, she came to another ballroom and was surprised by the sight of the two of you slow dancing in each other’s arms.

Well, at least you weren’t in danger.

It seemed that she had sped off a bit too quickly, as Ryan, Graham and Yaz soon came jogging up behind her, startling both you and The Master (who hadn’t noticed her approach). For a few moments everyone stood and stared at each other in complete silence, no one knowing quite what to do. The Master still had his arms around your waist, and The Doctor could see that he tightened his grip on you, as though he was afraid you’d be taken from him.

You coughed, gaining everyone’s attention, “So, uhhh..”

“You two are together?” Yaz asked.

You looked to The Master and smiled softly, getting a small smile in return. “Yeah, we are.”

There was another moment of awkward silence before you spoke up again. “Wait, none of you seem surprised?”

“We caught you two sleeping on one of the library couches a couple weeks back.” Ryan told you, causing you to playfully hit The Master’s arm.

“I told you!”

The Master rolled his eyes, “How was I supposed to know? I was asleep as well!” He laughed along with you.

“Is that why you were all acting weird around us?” You queried.

“Yeah, sorry about that cockle, it was just a bit of a shock is all. Still is to be honest!” Graham chuckled, putting all of you at ease.

“How long have the two of you been together anyway?” Yaz asked.

“Uhh, just over four months now - right?” The Master nodded in response to your question.

“How did you two manage to keep it a secret for so long?” Ryan exclaimed.

“Lots of sneaking around, though it does help when your partner has alien hearing that’s at least 10 times better than humans’.” You replied, smirking in a way that showed how much you liked showing off about The Master.

On the way back to the TARDIS Graham, Ryan and Yaz asked you quite a lot of questions, most of which you answered happily while holding The Master’s hand. Despite having watched the two of you for the past few weeks to make sure this wasn’t just another one of The Master’s schemes, The Doctor finally felt as though she could relax. You were safe, and both of you were happy, she was glad that The Master had managed to find someone who he could be himself around, someone who he could love. Stopping just outside the TARDIS doors, you turned back to look at her.

“You’re alright with this, yeah?”

“You’re happy?” The Doctor asked, addressing the both of you.

“Very.” You replied, while The Master simply looked down at you and nodded.

“Good, I’m happy for you - both of you.” She made sure to address The Master, who looked slightly surprised before he rolled his eyes at her.

“Now, movie night?” She suggested, gaining nods of approval from everyone.

It was going to take some getting used to, but The Doctor was truly happy for the both of you. Later that evening she looked over to see that you had both fallen asleep in each other’s arms, she smiled looking at the two of you, glad you had each other.

I am going to try to post Safety Over Teamwork tonight, but I might end up posting it tomorrow. But it will definitely be posted soon!

Rules: tag 9 people you want to get to know better

Tagged by: @praxeus-13 Thank you so much for tagging me! I'm sorry that it took me so long to get this done! Mental illness was really kicking my ass!

Favourite time of the year: Late autumn to the beginning of winter. It depends on the year, but I love seeing the trees turn orange and the feeling the air get colder. But I also really love snow and being all bundled up in sweaters. So, the transitional period between autumn and winter.

Comfort food: Oven-baked mac & cheese, cheddar and sour cream Ruffles, and Ben and Jerry's Phish Food ice cream. Also, so many depression meals that I won't name for your benefit.

Do you collect something: I collect a lot of things. I collect bottle caps, wine corks, aluminum can tags. Alcohol bottles, but that's because I want to break the glass and use it for art projects. I also collect those paper mug sleeves from Starbucks and other cafes and I will write the date I got my drink somewhere on in. Oh! And books! I have so many books. I want to eventually collect records, but I haven't started doing that yet.

Favourite drink: I drink a lot of black tea, but I do love a good chai latte. I will never pass up a raspberry lemonade or a Shirley Temple, though. My go-to alcoholic drink, though, is either a whiskey and coke or a blueberry Moscato.

Favourite song: Oh, so many! But here are a few: Heroes, by David Bowie, As The World Falls Down by David Bowie, Starcrossed Losers by The Fratellis, Told You So by The Fratellis, Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush, Mayor of Simpleton by XTC, Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode, Origin of Love by Mika, The Origin or Love from Hedwig and The Angry Inch. Again, I have a lot more, but I will stop there.

Current favourite song: Miles From Nowhere by Cat Stevens, The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, Vienna by Billy Joel, King by Florence and The Machine, Master of Puppets by Metallica, Mary On A Cross by Ghost, a lot of Metallica and Ghost songs, No One Lives Forever by Oingo Boingo, also, a lot of The Cramps and Iron Maiden songs. Again, there are probably more, but I'll spare you me recounting my hours-long playlists.

Favourite fic: That definitely depends on the fandom. And I went off the songs, but I have a lot of fic recs! I could go into it more if anyone wants it. But I absolutely love the Knowledge trilogy by @13atoms! I highly recommend it if you love Dhawan!Doctor, like me.

Tagging: I don’t know who to tag because I’ve been gone for so long, and I feel rude tagging people out of the blue after being radio silent for so long. But anyone who wants to join in, please do! I would love to get to know you! :D

Frenchie looks so good this season!