Imaginary Worlds

The Doctor woke up early and showered and dressed before the Master even considered askin. It was just how he was. Not that he wasn't productive.

The Doctor spent his morning baking and entertaining Koschei when the lad woke to join him. It was a relaxing morning.

The Master was soon up, dressed and shower and headed downstairs to take Sigma out for a bit of a run. Poor dog probably felt neglected by him but at least Marnal kept him busy.

Wandering inside, he spared the Doctor an amused look. "Morning Johnny, how are you doing?"

"Don't call me Johnny." the Doctor deadpanned. He wasn't going to be responding to that it the other kept at it. Seriously?

Though he still handed over a cookie. "But I'm fine. A little restless, but I'm fine." the Doctor murmured softly. Couldn't help himself there.

"Finnne," the Master drawed out as he grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and headed into the living room to share it with Marnal and watch some TV.

They were not cooking people and there were only a few things they could do first thing, so it was the morning kids shows and playing with Sigma.

The Doctor sighed softly and shook his head. Right. He couldn't complain much. He just finished baking before making breakfast.

"Food is up!" the Doctor called lightly. Biscuits and gravy, but it wasn't too bad. He wasn't about to fuss and complain over an easy meal.

The Master dropped down at the table and ate his way through it, he was never a big eater so he often didn't finish his food but that didn't mean he didn't like it. The fact that he ate more than half said he had enjoyed it.

Marnal enjoyed it a lot less, which was why he was more moving around the plate than eating it but it was best not to say anything really.

Seriously? Twice in the same week? The Doctor resisted the urge to be insulted and simply took the plate from his son. Alright. He could do this. Even if it was another of those things that hadn't been an issue before.

"What do you want?" the Doctor asked slowly. He was being a good father. He was making an offer for his son to have a choice.

Marnal offered a sheepish look. Just bad timing dinner wise but the last thing he wanted to do was upset his dad and having the plate yanked away sent him into panic mode.

"Anything, I don't mind, I'll have the rest of that," Marnal insisted, offering his dad an unsure look. This must be some sort of trap.

"Marnal. Just tell me what you want to eat. You obviously don't want this." the Doctor said wimpy, standing and cleaning the plate. The kid was being difficult.

And he wasn't even being mean about it! He was just trying to give something Marnal wanted to eat, because this was getting ridiculous. He didn't know what his son wanted or liked at the moment.

Marnal frowned slightly before shrugging. "I like cereal," he always liked having a quick simple breakfast like cereal because if he ate too much, it made his stomach feel funny all day.

And it may have been odd but part of him felt so horribly guilty for not eating what the Doctor had made. He always felt guilty going against the other man.

Lovely. He really needed to stop cooking. Not like he couldn't afford to order in and serve quick things all the time.

The Doctor made up a bowl of cereal and simply returned to his own dish as if nothing had happened. That was fine. He could go with this.

Marnal ate his cereal rather swiftly, the tension in the kitchen was obvious despite how the Doctor was trying. Hell, even the Master felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Kosch, come on, we'll hang about in the living room," the Master prompted as he set their empty plates aside and cleared his son out while Marnal hastily tried to finish up his cereal.

All that mattered was the Doctor was trying. Sighing softly, Koschei followed along with. "He didn't yell this time at least." the kid offered softly.

He couldn't say much else about that. Not really. The man seemed to have a knack for making things worse than they needed to be.

"Yep, progress," he muttered as he dropped down beside the other man and offered a small smile. The Doctor was trying and that was the most important part, he just had to work with how he handled things.

If he offered a limited choice, at least Marnal would get a muted sort of power of choice. "Did you help with breakfast?"

"A little. I got to help make biscuits and I stirred." Koschei offered softly. He couldn't help it. He liked to do in.

Which was a bit surprising. Koschei sighed softly and settled against the couch, blinking owlishly when the Doctor came about long enough to give him a cookie before heading to do the dishes.

"You're a good cook... you clearly didn't get it from me. I mean really, my ability to do any basic cooking is rubbish," the Master remarked before offering the Doctor an amused look.

"Don't I get a cookie? I ate all my breakfast!" the Master declared childishly, clearly amused at his lack of cookie.

"But you weren't up at the crack of dawn baking with me." the Doctor informed simply. And really? The fact that Koschei was said something.

Because Koschei did enjoy it. But neither parent did. Nor were either parent particularly gifted in it. "I didn't get it from my mom either." Koschei mumbled softly.

"See now I can, if you fancy, but I'm sure you'd probably be giving me cookies to get rid of me," the Master pointed out, tutting playfully. "Favouritism is so very bad, Johnny."

Turning back to Koschei, he shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes skills just develop, doesn't have to come from me or your mom, could come from a further back relative or something."

Really? "Don't call me that." he called back, throwing a cookie at the Master's head before he ducked away. Let the man deal with that.

"I know. It's just weird." Koschei mumbled. He didn't have much in common with his patents when it came right on down to it. he had the most in common with his dad.

The Master cried out and rubbed his head, picking up the cookie with an annoyed look. "Cheers Johnny," he called after the man, rolling his eyes as he took a bite.

"Kosch, doesn't mean anything. Look at Marnal, he can't cook and he lives with the Doctor. It's not always a genetic thing," the Master assured the boy.

"I know. They don't have a lot in common either." Koschei pointed out softly. What else did the Master expect from him at the moment?

He was finding it odd. Not that he would complain or anything. "It's okay. Promise. I don't mind." Koschei assured firmly.

"They both seem very human?" the Master remarked but hey, maybe Marnal took after his mother? They wouldn't really know seen as she was gone but it was possible.

"And they both have father issues... that's about it," Marnal was rather free and content most the time, he wanted to have fun. the Doctor seemed oddly incapable of that.

Koschei nodded softly at what was said and offered a small smile. Because really? The two didn't seem right. Like there was a missing piece. Something that made the Doctor this way.

And that bothered him. Because Koschei knew something was off. He just wasn't going to point that one out anytime soon. What would he even say to start? The lad didn't want to cause trouble this time around.

The Master knew everything was wrong but to put that subject out there often caused the Doctor to lose it and he was frankly tired of that happening all the time.

It was easier to play dumb and ignore the glaring errors and inconsistencies with their lives. "What do you want to do today?"

"Mr. Smith is taking me to see a deer." Koschei admitted softly. He was looking forward to that. And who wouldn't? He might even see a fawn!

"He says that we can feed them. I hope I can." the child admitted softly with a small shrug. What? He was excited.