InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "TIK TIK TIK"

Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood (lt_to_chaos) wrote in whoville,
@ 2008-04-17 08:56:00

Entry tags:

lt_to_chaos, themaster

Anna's Master (Finished)
Jack woke up to the smell of coffee and cheese danish, rolling onto his side to look at the table the Master had set. Pasteries and coffee and what looked like a mini-fridge that he suspected held whatever else he'd brought back. "Morning," he murmured as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.

"Morning, indeed. I just ran into another of myself who was rather worried about you." The Master gestured at the food on the table. "Come, eat something."

"Worried about me?" Jack raised an eyebrow, taking a long moment to stretch before getting out of bed, and scooping up one of the danishes, munching on it while he waited for an answer.

"Seemed to think you were in danger from me."

Jack shrugged. "Sometimes I am. He wouldn't have any way to tell if now's one of those times, or if it's safe." As safe as it ever was around the Master. "Going to pack a picnic and explore today?"

"Actually, I was planning on not going anywhere, and just enjoying some alone time." The Master leaned back in his chair, grinning at Jack.

Jack twitched. "I'd rather go out." He popped the rest of the pastery in his mouth, heading for the wardrobe, and a change of clothes. "I can go alone, if you don't want to come with me."

The Master scowled at Jack's back, his fingers drumming restlessly against the table. "I want to stay in today, with you, and enjoy the day."

"I'm not planning on staying in all day." Jack looked back at the Master, his hand hovering over an undershirt. "Unless you insist."

The Master studied Jack a moment before sighing huffily, and waving a dismissive hand. "Fine, fine. Go on, then. I'll go... find a book." He reached for his mug of coffee, glaring at the dark liquid as if it were the source of his problems.

Jack sighed, pulling on a t-shirt and trousers he'd picked up while waiting for his jacket to be tailored before the party, and headed for the door. He'd find coffee downstairs, before the Master decided that he really would insist on Jack staying in the room all day.

As he stepped out of the lift into the lobby, he sighed, spotting another of the Master near the dining room. Well, at least he knew it wasn't his Master - the suit rather gave it away. Though with no rose, he doubted it was the sane one he'd first run into, either.

"Master," he greeted cautiously as he got closer, giving him a small smile.

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	themaster 2008-04-20 09:39 pm UTC (link)
	The Master smiled slightly. "His devotion in the face of that always has amazed me. Mind you, I share it to some extent, so I can't really talk." He reached out and covered Jack's hand with his own in a reversal of the gesture Jack had made to him. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 09:56 pm UTC (link)
	Jack turned his hand over, lacing his fingers through the Master's again. "Even knowing why he ran doesn't help. And... To know everyone around you is going to die, and not know if you ever will?" He shook his head. "I don't know how I'd stay sane if I had to deal with that." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-20 10:19 pm UTC (link)
	The Master smiled, with a lot of teeth. "Sanity is overrated." He shrugged. "I honestly don't know how I'd handle it, in your position. It's a fascinating, intriguing anomaly, as seen from the outside. But if I was you? I've clung to life against all the odds a number of times, but faced with eternity? I don't know." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 10:25 pm UTC (link)
	"It's not like I have a choice." Jack shrugged. "And I intend to have my Master around for a very long time yet. I'm not going to be alone for a while yet." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-20 10:35 pm UTC (link)
	"You had a choice about whether to hold onto your sanity or not." It was a subject rather dear to his heart; he couldn't help but focus on it. "And I'm sure your Master will be with you a long, long time. He's still near the start of a new set of regenerations, after all." He paused, eyes narrowing. "At least, I assume he's the same regeneration as I am?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 10:43 pm UTC (link)
	"Same basic features, different personality." Jack paused, smirking a little. "Knows how to dress casual." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-20 10:46 pm UTC (link)
	"So you said. I can do casual - I just prefer smart." The Master tilted his head. "How is he different?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

lt_to_chaos
2008-04-20 11:01 pm UTC (link)

"More tactile," was the first thing that came to Jack's mind. "He's very protective of some people. Me. Rose - she's just a kid, but he's serious about keeping her safe as possible without interefering in her timeline."

Jack thanked the server as it came with a fresh coffee to replace his empty cup, taing a sip. "He isn't particularly fond of the Prime Minister, and I don't think he'd go for the office if it weren't a stepping stone to ruling the world."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

themaster
2008-04-20 11:18 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, believe me, it was only a stepping stone for me too," the Master assured him. "And ruling the world is only a stepping stone to ruling a whole lot more."

He mulled over the rest of what Jack had said. "I'm protective of certain people. Though perhaps possessive would be a better term. I certainly don't like other people interfering with those I consider mine.

"As for the tactile thing..." He glanced down at their linked hands, and rubbed his thumb gently over Jack's hand. "I'd assume he gets that from you."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 11:28 pm UTC (link)
	"That's what he says about it." Jack smiled, squeezing the Master's hand in response. "He's possessive, too." He tilted his head. "I think he may be more patient. Not as much as his previous regeneration, but enough." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-20 11:34 pm UTC (link)
	"More patient than me? I spent eighteen months stuck on Earth carefully engineering my rise to power!" He paused, head tilted to one side, then grinned. "All right. Your Master wins at that. He's been there a lot longer than I have." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 11:40 pm UTC (link)
	Jack chuckled. "A century, and he's still only running Torchwood and Masterworks. He has another couple of decades to wait before stepping up plans to take over the world. Though I think he'd like to do that sooner." Acknowledging that the Master wasn't as patient as he would like everyone else to think. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-20 11:44 pm UTC (link)
	He shuddered. "I cannot imagine being stuck on Earth for over a century. Eighteen months felt like an eternity." He crooked an eyebrow. "You must be doing a good job of keeping him amused." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-20 11:47 pm UTC (link)
	"He was doing pretty well until World War Two." Jack grimaced. "German bomb changed plans, and caused a regeneration. He's not as patient as he used to be." He preened a little at the Master's compliment. "I like to think so. Or at least distracted, when nothing's really entertaining." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-21 09:37 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, I can vouch for your ability to be distracting," the Master said, with bitter humour. "You're very, very good at it." He raised an eyebrow. "So the patience thing is just a different body thing? I think I may have been a little more patient in my previous body too." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-21 12:52 pm UTC (link)
	"Think you may have been?" Jack frowned, concern flitting across his expression. "You're not sure?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-21 12:54 pm UTC (link)
	"It's a long time ago. And I've been a bumbling human since, for years, not to mention the drums and now the lack of same. To be honest, I wasn't in that body for long, as me." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-21 01:12 pm UTC (link)
	Jack squeezed the Master's hand. "That had to be hard, for you. To chose to become something you weren't, to escape the Time War. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

themaster
2008-04-21 01:17 pm UTC (link)

The Master gazed at him with eyes that saw not him but hordes and hordes of Daleks. "It was a last resort," he said hollowly, gripping JAck's hand hard. "Everyone seems to think it was easy for me, but it wasn't. Of course it wasn't. I didn't know if I'd ever be me again. If no-one had found me, made me open the watch. I could have died, as Yana. But it was still a better fate than being caught by the Daleks."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-21 01:29 pm UTC (link)
	Jack returned the grip with a steady pressure, a reminder that he was here, that he wasn't going anywhere right now. "You were found. You didn't die, weren't caught by Daleks." His voice was low and soothing, a touch of hate firing his voice with the last word. He understood the fear, the hate of the metal-shelled monsters. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-21 01:34 pm UTC (link)
	"The other me was caught by them," he said, still hollowly. "The one who's here with his Doctor. He said... he said he could understand why I ran." It made him feel sick to think of it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-21 01:41 pm UTC (link)
	Jack shifted, dragging his chair closer to the Master, his free hand coming up to touch the side of his face, fingers stroking along his temple, his cheek, comforting. Grounding. "Focus, Master," he murmured, squeezing the hand he still held once more. "You're safe, you're alive, you're here. Focus. Here and now." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-21 01:49 pm UTC (link)
	The Master closed his eyes, trying to breathe like the Doctor had reminded him, trying to concentrate on the feel of Jack touching him, so warm and human, so different from the Doctor and yet with a familiar sense of affection. He bowed his head, and crushed JAck's hand with his own. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lt_to_chaos 2008-04-21 02:03 pm UTC (link)
	Jack winced, but didn't pull away, brought his chair, himself, closer instead, shifting his hand to stroke the back of the Master's neck, his shoulder. Just provide a grounding point, a place to center. "Center. Let the rest of it go, and center." Jack kept his voice steady and even, his movements light but firm. "Ground to my voice, just let the rest go." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	themaster 2008-04-21 04:46 pm UTC (link)
	He breathed through his nose, in and out, in and out, and focussed on Jack, and gradually came back to himself. Shivering, he opened his eyes and sought out Jack's face, clinging. "Shit," he said, with an odd mixture of vehemence and shakiness. "That was unexpected." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)