Imaginary Worlds

The Doctor sighed softly a brought a hand up to brush gently at the Master's head. "I wish there was a way that I could help. I do. Even if we hadn't been dating, I'd have wanted that." he murmured softly.

He had a savior complex still. He wanted to help people and make everything or everyone better. It wasn't possible, but he still wanted it. That was what made the Doctor himself.

The Master closed his eyes and sighed. "No one can help... I'm nuts, Doctor. But I've accepted that. I've accepted that I'll never be social and that I fly off the handle a lot."

It wasn't that he lacked social skills or that he had no charm, it was more that he didn't like people. With people, you could be yourself and do as you please... he could do that with the Doctor.

"you aren't nuts, you're interesting. There's a very big difference. I like interesting." the Doctor assured softly. He honestly didn't see the Master as insane.

Which was probably some instinctual survival instinct. As if not realizing would make him less of a target when he no longer knew how to adapt and work with it. It was probably a bad thing.

"You only don't think I'm nuts because you haven't seen me in the bad times," Well, he had seen the master freak out once but he had done worse and reacted nastier in his life.

"Never killed anyone like you, mind, but I've tried. More than once. I wish I'd been better at it," the Master mused with a small tilt of his head. "You know, it's funny... and don't old this against me, okay? But... my life would be so much easier if I killed Lucy."

"You think that, but really? I can't even begin to explain to you what bothered me so much. The guilt, the memories, the nightmares...I can't imagine you killing somebody." he murmured with a small frown.

And the Doctor truly couldn't. He just...It didn't make sense to him. Not really. The Doctor knew that he was wrong and that was even worse.

"I think I could handle it," the Master remarked before shrugging his shoulders somewhat. He could handle a lot of things quite well and remorse was not something he often felt.

Perhaps he would have a better manner to deal with it... or maybe he'd fall into the same trap as Raskolnikov, there was no sure fire way to know, really. "Who knows how it'd go."

The Doctor had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he knew. He very calmly pushed those thoughts aside. He didn't need to be thinking about them. Period.

Instead, he stole a quick kiss and settled a bit, squirming about a little to get more comfortable. "Anyway. What made you decide to get a dog in the first place?" he asked casually.

"I-- I don't actually know. We just got one," the Master confessed, not sure himself why he had a dog but there it was, not far from him. The Master frowned and tried to recall.

"I think Koschei just wanted a pet... I must of fancied a dog or something. Koschei didn't like him at first but they get on fairly well now," Sigma was a good dog that minded his own business so he was good for a boy with Koschei temper.

The Doctor smiled softly, reachin out to ruffle the pup's fur a bit. "I always liked dogs. Use to have one even. Had a bit of an accident really." he murmured softly.

He couldn't really help it. The Doctor couldn't explain the reason he had a cat either. There seemed to be a lot of things that hecouldnt explain as of late.

"Sigma is a good dog though, very loyal, can't deny my fondness," the Master admitted, he was a dog person too but there was a reason to that and he wasn't sure why.

Perhaps it was because of how much he enjoyed the heart of the dog or maybe it was just that dogs reminded him of something... something loyal and friendly.

"I've always liked cats. There's a character about them that I'm fond of. Can't help that." the Doctor said softly, chuckling when Pest decided that the dog had too much attention, reacting by pouncing onto the Doctor's lap lightly.

Or as light as a large cat could. "Except Pest. Pest is just desperate for my attention. Though I find that to be rather entertaining as well." the Doctor addmitted softly.

"He's an odd thing," the Master remarked as he life Sigma up and onto his lap, letting the puppy lick his face and nuzzle against him. The Master laughed and tried to get him to settle.

"Pest is an odd name, who picked it?" the Master asked, not sure it was really the Doctors style. And Marnal? Well judging by his pet frog called Froggie and pet fish called Fishie, he was not a great namer.

"I can't really remember. It's just the name that he ended up with." the Doctor admitted softly, gently stroking the cat's fur with a small grin. It was just another of those things he didn't think about.

And it wasn't always that he didn't want to. He couldn't. He'd always been easier to fob watch than the Master. Sort of helped he wasn't as strong in the psychic realm.

"Doesn't it seem odd that you can't fathom why you named your cat... cause I can't work out why I named my dog. Or why Lucy would call my boy Koschei or why you and I know one another--" the Master stopped and pulled a face of dismay.

"I know, I know. I promised not to think but... why do we have so many gaps? People should have this many. There has to be something array," the Master asserted, ruffling his own hair.

"I can't really think about it. I don't really care. I just get distracted by something that matters more to me." the Doctor dismissed, glancing toward the other. Really?

"Listen. It isn't something to worry over. Just focus on your upcoming election and where your life is right now, okay? It's so much easier." the Doctor assured firmly.

"John, you can't just bury your head in the sand because something confuses you!" the Master snapped, frustrated at how easily it was dismissed. He'd rather know why he had so many gaps frankly.

The election meant nothing compared to that. "Can't you just stop dismissing it and think. It's odd and not a little bit odd but insanely odd... it makes no bloody sense."

"Alright. Why? Why is it a problem? How is it a problem? Don't know why somebody named something what they named it. My mother didn't know why she named me Nohnathan, but she didn't care. Why do we feel we know one another? It happens. Sometimes you just connect with people. I don't see the issue here." the Doctor said slowly.

And he didn't. What was the big deal if they didn't understand everything? They weren't meant to. Nobody was. "You over think and worry too much." the Doctor stated softly.

"Because I'm sure she remembers the moment she slept your dad, the moment she had her kid and the moment she named him. I only remember buying Sigma for a reason I don't know and naming him a weird name for god knows why?" the Master ranted, running his fingers through his hair, he wasn't ranting, he was just-- frustrated.

"Pieces are missing, I don't like that. I don't-- I don't even remember parts of Koschei life," the Master confessed, dropping his head in his hands. Bits and pieces seemed to be... almost edited from his head. It left it patchy and confusing.

Every fiber of his being was protesting this, practically screaming at him to avoid this topic. He didn't know or understand why. He just knew that he didn't like it. At all.

"Film's over. Let's do something else. You probably liked the name. It's nice enough. And Pest tends to be a bit of a pest. Surely there's something more interesting you'd like to do than sit about and talk.

"You go to insane lengths to avoid this discussion, you know?" the Master pointed out before scrubbing at his eyes in frustration. "Early night, I'm tired... we can watch something on TV if you fancy."

He slumped back and sighed, ruffling his hair in annoyance. "We maybe dropping it for now but this isn't over, you can't just ignore what is happening... we're missing something."

The Doctor sighed softly and nodded. He didn't care. He'd gotten away from it for then. "An early night then." he agreed, flicking off the television and standing with Peat carefully in his hold.

The cat also with him anyway. It was routine to take the animal with him. It wasn't routine to see somebody's bag in his bedroom. The fact brought a small smile to his features as he got changed and settled in for the time being.

The Master carried Sigma upstairs and stroked the poor pup on it's head as it stared to nod off in his arms. Dropping down on the Doctors bed, he looked up and smiled.

"Sigma likes to sleep beside me or he'll wake up and whine," he clarified, sidestepping the fact that his bag was in the Doctors room. "Dogs can be very daft sometimes."

The Doctor just smiled softly and nodded as he allowed Pest to get settled at the food of his bed. "Don't worry about it. I don't actually mind dogs." he assured softly as he got comfortable.

The Doctor even gave the other space to be comfortable. It was better than risking making the Master uncomfortable. The night wouldn't end well did either of them then.

Sigma slept on the floor beside him and the Master slid into bed by the Master, putting his arms behind his head and exhaling loudly. He didn't have much else to do really but lie there, wondering what to do.

Was the Doctor fine with just lying with him? He rather hoped so. The Master lay close enough to the Doctor and offered a smile. "You comfortable enough."

The Doctor bummed softly and shrugged. "Would it matter if I wasn't? Don't worry. I never sleep much." he murmured. And by much he actually meant more than a couple of hours on average.

What? He never claimed to be healthy in his habits. "I don't mind sharing a bed with you, if that's what you meant. Quite the opposite, really." the Doctor assured quickly.