"Aah," the Doctor sighed, sitting down and giving the brown-furred pitbull a pat. The Brigadier had taken leave to visit a sick cousin, and had kindly requested the Doctor watch over his dog while he was gone. The Doctor obliged. With all the idiotic people he had to deal with, a dog would be a welcome companion. Although, she was quite a distraction when it came to the Doctor's experiments. The dog licked the Doctor's hand and the Doctor smiled to himself.
He settled back, closing his eyes for a short rest, when the phone on the wall rang. Grunting, the Doctor picked up the phone. A familiar, distinguished voice responded and the Doctor closed his eyes in a wince. "My dear Doctor, how gracious of you to accept my call. I am here to inquire how you are faring."
"I was faring much better before I picked up the phone," the Doctor snapped. "I'll have you know I'm busy, Master, so you'll have to seek attention elsewhere."
"Aah dear Doctor, if only you could resist a challenge."
"No, this is quite serious. I'm watching a dog this week."
The Master scoffed. "A dog? A contemptible human lover? I see why you might get along."
"Yes, and I'm not to be distracted. It's for a friend."
"What friend would you place above me?" said the Master, a tinge of genuine hurt in his voice.
"The Brigadier if you must know. He's done a lot more for me in the past year or so than you have in several hundred years!" "Oh Doctor you do have a temper."
"After your 'mind of evil' disaster I think it's rather warranted."
The Master paused, and the Doctor knew he had gotten to him. One of the Doctor's hearts had stopped after coming into contact with the Master's evil machine, and the Master had panicked. The Master was good at putting on an act of dominance, but when it came down to it he couldn't permanently hurt the Doctor. "Are you ill?" said the Master, half sincerely.
"Yes, my hearts did take quite a hit. Dog therapy is all the rage now, you know."
"Of course you have that weakness, dear Doctor. A creature like that could never work for me."
"Yes, I'm well-aware. Now if you'll excuse me -" The Doctor coughed heavily, "You'll have to find someone else to bother." A little added dramatics wouldn't hurt. The Master was so gullible he'd believe the Doctor was ill in an instant. That took care of that.
Of course, with the exception that the Master was so concerned he headed over to check on the Doctor himself. There was a polite tap at the door, and when the Doctor opened it the Master stepped into the lab. Or rather, he tried to, but the dog barreled toward him.
The Master reached for his pocket but the Doctor reacted faster, lashing out with his arm and disabling the Master with his Venusian Aikido. "Put away that infernal tissue compression eliminator. She's the Brigadier's dog and the poor man has been through enough."
"That fool -"
"I rather think we owe him after our latest escapade in this lab."
The Master shut up at that. The dog was licking his hand, engulfing it in her entire mouth. The Master flinched, as if expecting a bite, but none came. He withdrew his hand from the dog's mouth, grimacing at the saliva.
The Doctor chuckled at the sight of the Master's suit covered in hair. The Master shoved the dog and cleared his throat. "It seems you are unwell, Doctor."
"So you came to check on me, yes."
The Master drew himself up to his full height, which was rather unimpressive. "Well, it seems you're well -"
The Doctor gasped at a sudden pang from one of his hearts and the Master faltered. The Doctor pressed his hand to his hearts, sighing. "It's alright dear chap, just a bit of chest pain."
The Master strode forward, laying a hand on the Doctor's chest and furrowing his brow. The Doctor smiled. The gesture was certainly one of concern, but he couldn't help suspecting there was another motive as well. The Master's hand was cold and pressed firmly against him, and the Doctor had a flashback of a few weeks ago, strapped to a chair while the Master felt him up under the pretense of searching for his chip. Sometimes the constant pretenses and excuses were tiring. What the Doctor wouldn't give to be able to hold the Master's hand for a night without having an alternative motive.
Nonsense, though. The Doctor needed to stop being so affectionate to the Master, it was driving the Brig mad with the fact that the Master was UNIT's sworn enemy.
"Do sit down," said the Doctor, gesturing to a nearby chair. The Master sat, gingerly wiping his suit of dog hair. "Is this really all you're here for?" asked the Doctor, appraising the Master sternly. "You're not up to some nonsense?"
"Dear Doctor, why would I do something right now? Without any style to it?"
The Doctor scoffed. "With you I expect double-crossing the moment it's possible." The Master pushed the dog, who had been cautiously sniffing him. She barked indignantly and returned to the Doctor. The Doctor watched and betrayed a smile. "However, she is telling me you won't, which I'll admit I'm surprised by."
"Whatever are you blathering about?"
"Dogs have an excellent sense of people's character and intentions. If you were up to something nefarious she would sense it and be on you in a moment."
The Master raised an eyebrow, but was distracted by the sight of the Doctor's latest experiment. "And what are you working on?"
"I'm conducting an experiment on neutron flow." The Master crossed to the table and the Doctor smiled. "Care to help?"
"There's no reason to ally with you at the moment."
"Yes, but you're here, so you might as well. The Brigadier's not around to chase you off."
"Yes, well, this does seem interesting. And I do enjoy combining our intellects."
"Stay the night and we can work on it. And you'll be able to keep an eye on my health since you seem so concerned."
The Master attempted to look unconcerned, but took one more glance at the Doctor and sighed. "My dear Doctor, that is quite kind of you. Perhaps I will." "Yes, well, don't make me regret it."
The Doctor furrowed his brow as he got the last wire into place. "I do believe we've got it," he said, but there was no reply. He glanced over to see the Master asleep in his chair. The Doctor chuckled and couldn't help feeling a little charmed. Asleep, the Master was so peaceful. No evil schemes tonight. In fact, there was even a slight smile on his face, not a sneer but one of contentment.
If the Doctor really looked, he could almost see the old Koschei in him. They used to stay up many nights at the academy together, and Koschei would fall asleep just like this. Then Theta would gently wake him up and remind him to go to bed. Why was it still so easy to slip into those memories, even after everything that had happened?
The Doctor reached out as if to clasp the Master's shoulder, but stopped himself. A whine from the corner startled him. The dog was watching in confusion. "It's time for bed," the Doctor said in a low voice. He stood up carefully, making sure not to disturb the Master as he headed for his sleeping quarters. The dog barked and the Master jerked awake. The Doctor looked back, feeling too much hope rise within him. "Come along then dear chap."
The Master blinked. "May I inquire as to where I -"
"You'll have to sleep in my quarters."
"Aah." The two went together, and stopped when they reached the Doctor's room, where the single bed sat. The Master furrowed his brow. "Doctor, are you truly going to let your guest have the floor?"
The Doctor hesitated. "No, I wouldn't want you to have a bad back."
The Master raised an eyebrow. Then there was the thumping of four feet on the floor and the dog sailed onto the bed, wagging her tail and barking softly. The Master's face morphed into one of horror. "You aren't letting that creature-"
"Yes, what else am I to do? I'm not very well going to leave her alone to wander UNIT headquarters."
"I have an efficient way to stop her." The Doctor laid a hand on the Master. "No, it's in the bed with her or the floor."
"The floor then."
The Doctor climbed into bed and passed the Master some blankets. As time passed the Master tossed and turned. The Doctor pretended to sleep, breathing heavily, and after a few more minutes the Master stood up, tapped the Doctor to make sure he was asleep, and climbed into bed. The dog thumped her tail on the blankets, wriggling with excitement as the Master pushed her over. The Doctor opened his eyes and smiled to himself. His arch-nemesis's back was turned to him, but he could see the gentle rise and fall of his shoulders. It was this rhythm that accompanied the Doctor to sleep.
"I am the Master, and you will obey me." It was the next morning, and the Doctor had left the dog and the Master together for merely a moment. Evidently, a moment too long. The dog was happily wagging her tail as the Master grasped the sides of her head, attempting a hypnotism. He glanced up as the Doctor approached. "I do hope you don't mind this," he said.
"The Brigadier most certainly will."
The Master removed his hands. "You've deprived me of all my main weapons to use on this beast."
"I think if you open your mind you'll find you don't need them." The dog licked the tip of the Master's nose. The Master jerked back, retreating to the Doctor. "Now this beast dares to taint me with -"
"It's a show of affection."
"What?"
"It means she likes you."
The Master looked back at the dog. "The hypnotism shouldn't have -"
"Oh I doubt it's hypnotism." There was a pause, and the dog trotted forward.
The Master raised an eyebrow. "Truly a stupid beast. Don't you have tv in here?"
The Doctor walked with the Master to the entertainment room. He looked back at the dog trotting after him and gave her a smile. He had started considering himself the only one who saw anything else in the Master besides evil. He sometimes questioned if it was entirely a false hope. But this dog saw it too.
"I suppose you want to watch children's programming?"
The Master frowned. "Really, Doctor, isn't it a bit beneath you to ridicule my appreciation of another culture's entertainment? I thought you wanted me to enjoy human culture."
They held eye contact and the Doctor couldn't suppress a grin. "Very well."
"Could we watch the Clangers?" the Master said, voice rising in excitement. "That's one of my personal favorites."
They both sat on the couch as the show started. The Doctor glanced at the Master, who was fixated on the television. The dog crept in and nosed the Master's arm. The Master glared, and the Doctor turned to view this new amusement, one far more interesting than the television. The dog pushed her way onto the couch, forcing the Master back until he was leaning against the Doctor. He startled and looked at the Doctor, who smiled at him. "I guess we'll have to make due."
It would have been easy to make the dog move, of course, but these chances with the Master were rare. The Doctor wasn't about to give one up. The Master reluctantly relaxed. The dog leaned her head on the Master's knee and all three moved to a comfortable cuddling position. The Doctor smiled to himself when he heard the Master make a contented humming noise. These were the best moments.
The Doctor missed when they could happen every day back on Gallifrey, but everything changes. He was grateful for this moment, however short it may be. As the show continued to play, the Master reached his hand over and absentmindedly stroked the dog's head. She wagged her tail and opened her mouth in a grin, snuggling closer to the Master. The Master had a content expression as he continued to pet the dog, suspicion fading from his face. He sighed against the Doctor and the Doctor brought his arm around him.
"I must admit I do miss these times," said the Master. "I remember enjoying cuddling with the animals on Gallifrey with you. You were always so good with them."
"Yes, but they liked you too."
The Master hummed again. "Thank you for letting me stay, Doctor."
The Doctor gave the Master a pat on the shoulder. "I'm enjoying this myself, dear chap."
"Why does she like me?"
"It seems she senses some redeemable qualities in you."
Just like I do, the Doctor thought, but didn't say it aloud. The Master had chosen his path for now and the Doctor's words wouldn't turn him around so quickly. Still, this moment was something. Even when the Master was fighting the Doctor, there was still an air of affection to it. It was fun, a game more than anything else. There was still love there. Laying there with the Master in his arms, watching his oldest friend treat a dog with affection, the Doctor let himself hope.
