A/N: I hope this chapter is as coherent and brilliant as my usual stuff, because it was written in the small hours of the morning, and that you enjoy it :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did... THIS WOULD HAPPEN.
"Bluelark's Haven!" the Doctor said suddenly, breaking the silence that had been occupying the console room for about half an hour.
The Master rolled his eyes, not even bothering to answer. The Doctor had been randomly blurting out possible travel destinations for several days, hoping to catch the Master in an enthusiastic mood.
"No really, this one's beautiful," the Doctor continued, getting up and tapping a few dials on the console, "Gigantic planet! Trees, trees, and more trees! And did I mention trees?" he pulled the scanner screen around and typed something on a keyboard, "And also - waterfalls! Too many to count - some of them range up to ten thousand feet! And - hold on," he leaned around the console and pressed a switch. The scanner screen fizzled into life, showing a picture of two sparrow-like birds sitting on a branch, both with vibrant blue feathers and large, glittering eyes.
"Also home planet to the universe's only family of bluelarks. Lovely birds, aren't they?"
The Master tilted his head in what the Doctor assumed was agreement.
"They're really intelligent, too," the Doctor continued, "Refined and cultured. Come on, let's go and visit them! We're both endangered species, after all."
"Is that what you'd consider a good reason for visiting someone?" the Master inquired, speaking at last, "'Hello, I just thought I'd pop in because I noticed that your species are on the brink of extinction. Mine are as well! Let's have a party."
The Doctor tried to suppress a snort.
"Well I wouldn't put it quite like that. But yes. Shall we?"
The Master sighed and leaned back against a coral pillar.
"I know you're just dying to visit this backwater rubbish heap of yours -"
"Hey! It's not a rubbish heap!" the Doctor interrupted, pulling the takeoff lever in spite of the Master's apathetic manner, "I'll have you know it's the least polluted planet in its galaxy!"
"- Alright, it's a backwater plantation of manky weeds, then."
"Manky weeds?!" the Doctor tried to look affronted while at the same time frantically pushing a series of buttons, "I'll show you manky weeds! Hah!"
With a final wheeze, the TARDIS landed. The Doctor seized the Master's hand and practically hauled him through the doors.
"Doctor-" began the Master, trying to tug his hand away, but stopped at the sight outside.
They were standing in mid-air, thousands of feet above the planet's surface, which was covered in lush green jungles as far as the eye could see. Directly below them, a vast waterfall rushed and churned, dancing over the top of a sheer cliff and down into the lower trees.
The Doctor looked at his companion, deriving a small amount of smugness from the other Time Lord's expression. He loved catching the Master off-guard like this. "Don't worry," he grinned cheekily, tapping his foot on the seemingly thin air beneath them, to show it was solid, "This is chrysalis glass - it wouldn't break if you staged a Clom family reunion on it."
He twirled around in a slow circle, taking in the view. "This is a viewing platform for the rich and famous," he explained, "All shielded, of course. Couldn't fall off if you tried, so-" he stopped with a jolt, having turned full circle and seeing the Master, who was shaking from head to foot, arms rigid by his sides, staring down at the jungles below. His eyes were wide and terrified, and the Doctor could tell he wanted to shut them, but couldn't.
"Master," the Doctor said, dashing over and taking his old friend by the arm. "Master, look at me. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"
The Master didn't even seem to register him, still gazing through the invisible glass at the ground, thousands of feet below. He licked his lips nervously. The Doctor shook him by the shoulders, tried to make him lift his head, but it was no good.
"Master, listen to me. You need to move, okay? You know what's happening."
What was happening, in short, was something the Doctor sometimes called Unrealised Regeneration Weakness. Like all species, some Time Lord's regenerations had defects, both physical and mental. Time Lords were usually aware of them immediately after regenerating, but sometimes they didn't become apparent until much later. The Doctor had once been surprised, even after several months in a body, to learn that it had an irrational case of claustrophobia. He'd been inside a sealed coffin at the time, so it hadn't been the best moment to realise that.
The Master was still rooted to the spot, shuddering with fright. This regeneration of his apparently suffered from acrophobia - fear of heights. He was either paralysed by fear, or shock, or both. The Doctor silently cursed himself for parking the TARDIS on the invisible sky-platform without checking the Master over first.
"Listen to me," he said again, "Stop looking down. Just close your eyes. Take a breath."
At first the Master didn't react, but then the Doctor felt the tension in his shoulders loosen, and he took a shaky breath and squeezed his eyes shut.
Suddenly, it was like all the other Time Lord's energy had dissipated, and he buckled at the knees, collapsing into the Doctor's arms like a rag doll. The Doctor knelt down, gently lowering him to the ground.
After a few seconds, the Master slowly opened his eyes, and the Doctor's face melted into that brilliant, delighted grin of his, the grin that could flood people with a warm feeling of comfort, and the reassurance that everything was going to be fine.
Unfortunately, the Master was not 'people'.
"I bloody hate you," he muttered.
The Doctor's grin widened, and he pulled the other Time Lord to his feet. "You alright?"
"No I am not," the Master grunted, trying to steady himself without touching the Doctor, which proved to be quite difficult. He closed his eyes again and took a breath.
"Bloody vertigo," he said.
"You swear more when you're scared," the Doctor observed, then realised this probably wasn't a good thing to say. The Master opened his eyes and glared at him.
The Doctor gave an apologetic half-smile. "I'm sorry. I... didn't know."
"Neither did I, otherwise I'd have clobbered you the minute we landed," retorted the Master, trying to look anywhere but down, "I liked this regeneration up until now."
"Really?" the Doctor made a face, stepping back to a respectful distance but remaining ready to catch the Master should he fall again, "I thought you didn't like blonds."
"I don't like your blondes," corrected the Master, focussing on his fingernails, "And anyway, this is more of an ivory-white."
"That's a bit... poetic."
"A bit, yeah."
There was a fluttering noise, and the Doctor looked up as three bright-blue shapes descended from above. The bluelarks hovered in mid-air like buzzards, their large eyes fixing intelligently on the two Time Lords.
"Hello," the Doctor called up to them, "We were just popping by to say what a nice planet you've got here! Very well-kept!"
"Doctor," muttered the Master, "Stop talking to the unimportant birds and let's go. My head hurts."
"Oh, so we're not impawtant, are we?" said one of the bluelarks in a whiny cockney accent, "Cor, 'e's got a bloomin' cheek, sayin' we're not impawtant!"
"Never 'ave I 'eard such cheek!" agreed another bird, "We're da most important fings 'ere, inndat roight, m'luv?"
"Lawd above!" screeched the third, female bird, "Not anuvver livin' soul 'ere comes anyfin' close. We got blue fearfers an' all, innit? Unique, we are! And 'e 'as the gaul to fink we're not impawtant!"
The Doctor and the Master stood their, their mouths agape.
"Look at 'em, gawpin' loike a bunch ov bloomin' fish!" said the second bird, "Anyone would fink they ain't nevah seen a bluelark befawer!"
"Lawd, they ain't sayin' much," said the female bird, "Let's go ride da waterfawls, yeah? Betcha I can beat'cha!"
"Roight you are, luv," said the first bird, "Come on, 'Obbs."
The three Bluelarks turned as one, gracefully swooping down, chattering away to each other until they were out of sight.
There was silence for a few seconds. Then, inevitably, the Master raised his eyebrows. "'Refined and cultured', eh?"
The Doctor opened his mouth, closed it again, and said nothing.
There was more silence. The Master sighed.
"Right, let's go back to your scrap-heap of a ship before I discover any other unpleasant defects in this regeneration, or, 'lawd' forbid, we run into any more irritating mongrel species."
"You mean before you collapse on me again," grinned the Doctor, back to his usual cheeky self as they turned and went back towards the TARDIS.
"I-" the Master began, then sighed, casting his eyes to the heavens. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"
The Doctor winked. "Never."
A/N: Fred and George quote there, for those who spotted it *sheds a manly tear even though I'm not a man*
And yeah. Master!whump. I enjoy it too much. I once read a fic in which the Master realised his sixth regeneration had a fear of water. The !whump. The hurt/comfort. Guh O.O *collapses into a heap of Doctor-Master-adorable-fluff*
Also I really, really don't mean to offend anyone with a cockney accent. 'Kay? 'Kay XD
Also, cookies for those who spotted the reference to Clom! :D
