Imaginary Worlds

"I didn't do this! At what point did I say 'Doctor, you know what, we should erase the universe and segregate our kids'... I don't recall it," the Master snarked and he forcefully lifted Koschei up in a defence manner.

"Me and Kosch will crash in this room tonight," the Master exhaled loudly and paused, hearing the faint noise of whimpering and crying. "I think Marnal wants to come out of his room. Maybe he should sleep in your room tonight?"

"Sharing a room with a seven year old is a tad creepy, don't you think?" he shot back sharply. the Master brought that upon himself. "You know? You told me you didn't want this universe so I took it apart to help make you happy. Do you know what that's like? How it felt? Like needles slowly picking you apart. Welcome to our new life." he said slowly.

There were definitely consequences to it. The Doctor had screwed up. He'd screwed up with the Master, the kids...He'd screwed this place up and he'd screwed up himself. It was far from pleasant. Worse because he was getting worse with each day and he couldn't fix it.

"We're not happy. We tried... we're miserable. How many times do we have to rip our minds to shreds before we admit that we're not happy here. And we're trapped and no, I'm not handling it well... neither are you," the Master lamented, sounding genuinely sad over it because it hurt. It really did hurt to be trapped here.

"We could of discussed it, you could of let me cool down... you locked me away for 5 weeks. I died more times than I can count!" the Master snapped, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. "So no, I won't say I'm sorry."

The Doctor sighed softly and shook his head. "Sorry. I can't fix it. I'm...I don't know how to fix it." he murmured softly. This was horrible. He was so far gone and he could recognize it all. He hated that more than anything else so far.

"I want to be happy and you weren't calming down. I...I destroyed it. Every life, every creature, and every building...I could feel it. Every little change and pull." the Doctor murmured brokenly.

"Its hard, I know but-- I snapped. I can't take this any more! I love Koschei, I love Marnal and I love you-- so why aren't I ever happy? And when I am happy, you're not happy!" the Master argued because he had been, he tried so hard this time and look where it got him. This was worse than before and it could only get worse.

"... We have to leave or you're just going to end up losing it. I mean look at this. threatening a seven year old, your four year old is crying in there and there is nothing here," the Master pointed out... it was a mess and they couldn't ever fix it.

"I had been happy this time. And then I fixed Koschei and...I didn't mean to. I didn't want this. I wanted to just work it out and be okay and then you snapped and...I can't leave. I can't leave and you hated your life here and don't tell me you love me so easily after saying you hated me." the Doctor said pointedly.

He couldn't handle it. That was just manipulative and cruel on the Master's part. This wasn't an ideal situation. The Doctor was far from happy now. "I can't fix it. I can't fix any of this." the Doctor murmured softly.

"You locked me away for five weeks. I do hate you for that," the Master asserted, you want to talk about cruel? Sensory deprivation is always cruel, one of the worst torture methods around and the Doctor locked the Master away in it.

"I can't fix this and I'm not sure I want to, I want to jump ship and leave because... you're giving me no motivation. I don't have a bed, I can't spend time with Koschei without you going psycho and oh, yes! You locked me in the fucking dark for five weeks!" was he bitter? Course he was. Who could blame him?

The Doctor cringed and shook his head slowly. Damn. He hated this. "I don't know what you're looking for. I don't know how to motivate you. I...I don't even know why I'd locked you up like that." he admitted softly. Sad, but true

He didn't know. He had just done it. He didn't understand most of what he was doing and the why behind it. He just was. The Doctor wrapped his arms around himself and shook his head slowly. "I wanted it to work."

(Gotta go. We're about to have thanksgiving dinner.)

"And its not! You want things to get better?" the Master asked before walking passed the Doctor and giving him a look that dared him to stop this. Slamming the door open, he near missed poor Marnal and waited for the sobbing boy to steady himself before setting Koschei down. "Okay, Koschei? Be a big man and take care of your brother. Me and the Doctor have things to discuss."

Pushing the two boys inside the room, he watched as Marnal literally clung to his big brother. The Master sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "There, one good change. Look, we're going to discuss this now but not with those two around."

((Okay then! Have fun!))

The Doctor nodded softly, watching Koschei comfort Marnal. Well. Suppose that was one good thing. It was still bothering him. But he could understand that he needed to back off and ease up. Even if h didn't like it.

"Alright. We'll talk about it. We can fix it. I can work on it." the Doctor mumbled softly with a frown. He hated to think about it. And that was sad.

"You can," the Master shrugged his shoulders and pushed the Doctor into their bedroom before shutting the door. He was sure that even Koschei and Marnal could take care of one another, surely?

The Master sat on the edge of the bed before looking down and glaring. "Am I actually allowed on the bed yet? Sir," Well, yeah, the sarcasm wasn't needed but he was more than a little stressed out here.

That definitely stung. A lot. But it was probably just a little bit warranted. "I told you that you could be. You said you hate me. You know you can't love and hate somebody at the same time." the Doctor murmured with a frown, sitting on the floor slowly.

He was definitely obsessing over that one. Because it had hurt. More than the rest had. Shaking his head slowly, the Doctor looked to the Master and shrugged. "Talk. Instruct. I don't care. I just wanted you to be happy and...It hurts that I can't do it for you." he mumbled.

"And I can't do it for you. Doctor, we don't make one another happy. I don't know if its just this universe or our toxic relationship but one of us has to admit it aloud," the Master asserted, the Doctor was in denial in seemed because not once had they worked out.

"I never thought I'd hate somewhere as much as here... I've changed, you've changed and yet our changes never make it work. I bet we could be two entirely different people, I don't know, Harry and John, and even as those two idiots, we'd never make it work," because they seemed physically incapable of it and he could bet his life on that.

"So what? Just remain here and be miserable? I can be happy. I can adapt and be happy in any situation necessary if it helps you to be happy." he murmured softly with a curt shake of his head. And that was the saddest part in this situation.

The Doctor was able to force himself to compliment the Master when he needed to. The Master was usually the one to snap and screw that one up. And then it was starting all over again. "If you could be happy, then I could follow easily enough."

"No, don't you dare try and say its just me. I changed myself you were happy with that either, we're you. You want me to be the Master and I want you to be the Doctor. We like ourselves!" the Master hissed angrily, he didn't appreciate having it all on him. He didn't like the Doctor changed and the Doctor didn't like him changed.

"I want to be me and I want you to be you. And I want us both to leave-- I would like us to leave with our boys but I get the horrible feeling we can't. Which hurts," the Master loved Koschei and he had fondness for Marnal but it was hard to leave this environment but he wasn't happy in this world and nothing could help. "But, if I'm the one who can't be happy then fine. Rip through my head and make me happy because its not working like this."

"No. That isn't what I want. I...I was happy. I was happy up until losing it completely with the whole Koschei thing. You...Coddling doesn't work. You know this. Normally, you would know that. I can't leave. You can't leave. They can't leave..." he said slowly, frowning.

This wasn't working. The Doctor shook his head slowly and stood, giving a small shrug. "No matter. This isn't going to work. Just...It's fine. I'll just keep at it the way that I've been." he said softly. And that was that.

"I can't keep at this Doctor, I'm miserable," the Master confessed, he didn't usually like admitting his own misery but he genuinely did feel like he was at a total loss her. Dropping down on the bed, he lay on his back and exhaled loudly in frustration. There was no answer.

"I never was good at being grounded, neither were you. I don't know how you're coping-- you really did addle your brain," the Master remarked as he scrubbed at his eyes in frustration. "This is exactly why playing happy families on Gallifrey is almost unheard of. As a race, on a whole, we can't cope in a life like this."

Well. That wasn't pleasant. "We could do it." he murmured, shaking his head slowly. "Redo the world. The universe. Copy it over from the Tardis itself and alter our minds. We won't remember ever leaving Gallifrey. We don't have to remember any of it." he murmured softly.

Because the problem was simple. They would alter themselves, but not their memories. "If we don't remember traveling, then there's no reason to miss for it. If we long for it, we can blame the Timelord's for holding us back. Or responsibilities. It could be like I agreed to being the Lord President. Can't leave then." the Doctor offered softly.

"Seems like we're doing the same old plan again and again. We've re-done this world over six times now and I have to say, it usually cocks up," the Master pointed out as he rubbed at his eyes. It was fine for the Doctor, he could be Lord president. The Master? Well, he'd had a bad reputation for his dishonesty and his insanity. He doubted he'd have a good status even on a fake Gallifrey.

"You can try it, if you really must but either way, we're just destroying one another until we finally break and become mindless puppets, enslaved to this universe," Sometimes he saw this world as a living creature, something that fed off his mind and sanity.

The worst part was that this was quite possibly true. But they couldn't leave and the Doctor knew that. It hurt. A lot. Worse than before. Because he wanted to be happy. "There's a second option. We could...We can split the kids, redo the world, and fobwatch ourselves." he said softly.

They'd know nothing other than the lives they led. "What happens could be simply that. What happens. If we meet up and whatnot, fall for one another and the like once more, then why not? We'll be happy. We'll be content. Because we won't know anything but our fake lives." the Doctor murmured.

The Master bite his lower lip. That was a rather horrible option but it seemed to be the only option here. He didn't want it but ... well, he was fed up of going in a loop and if he could escape and sleep for at least hundred years in his watch then he'd be much happier. Sitting back, he shrugged his shoulders at the suggestion.

"So, I'm guessing that I take Koschei, you take Marnal? We restore the world, split apart and then just leave our fobwatched selves to it while we sleep peacefully?" the Master asked with a small raise of his eyebrow. "If we do this... you get this house. I want a new one. I just needed to take a break from here."

"How about neither of use get this house. We both just go and play it that way. Not like we can really age and die now. We'll have to run into one another eventually." The Doctor murmured softly, standing. "Come on then. We'll just...Go downstairs and restore it quickly. We'll fobwatch ourselves and go from there." he said slowly, turning to lead the way.

He knew well enough that it wasn't the best option. But the Doctor didn't see a better route. He just...Needed to get it under control. Maybe, one day when they could handle it, they would be able to continue on. But until then? Well. He was trying at least.

The Master knew that this was not a fantastic idea because it was insane to hide like this but he was a little cracked and like the Doctor, his mind was gone. He was pretty broken up, he needed to get his mind worked out. And he could do that in the safety of a watch.

"What about Koschei and Marnal? We have to sort our kids out and make sure they don't know one another or anything about us repectively. Me and Koschei, you and Marnal. Sound good?" the Master asked with a small shrug of his shoulders. They had to retcon themselves. Pausing before he took off downstairs, he moved closer to the Doctor, putting his forehead against the other mans. "I'm sorry-- I am. I'm sorry we're both so wrong in the head."

The Doctor sighed softly and closed his eyes. Oh, it hurt, but he knew this was needed. "I'm sorry. I am. I'll work it out so that they don't remember one another and...We'll split them up like that." he assured firmly, kissing the Master softly.

"Come on. We need to do this." he murmured, turning to gently lead the Master along. "It's going to be fine. We'll...We'll be back together before we know it." the Doctor assured. And that was a hope that he needed to hold onto.

"I'll sort the world out, you go handle the parent," the Master nodded his head before heading downstairs and focusing all his energy of making the world grow and stratch out. He couldn't even begin to mess with the complexity of their kids minds.

It was safer to let the Doctor handle that stuff. The Master had to focus on restoring this mess fo a world ad working out what he was going to make himself into... he had how long to be stuck that way. "We'll find one another Doctor, just ... have a little faith."