"So what are you going to do about me then?" After about 30 minutes of silence The Master finally asked what is probably the most important question (except, you know, doctor who).
"I need to know that I can trust you so I can unchain you, but I don't know if I can" He knows that The Master is his childhood friend, of course he knows that, but how can he trust the man who killed millions for fun and tortured his friends? Believe me he wanted to trust The Master, wanted that more than almost anything else, but he can't take risks. Not right now.
"I don't need your trust, never needed it in the first place." Always so stubborn. The Master was looking on the floor, his pride didn't let him to look at The Doctor.
"Master" He looked at him, so desperate to have his friend back because having him alive in The TARDIS is not like having him here and talking to him just like the good old times. "Please look at me." But of course is didn't work, The Master kept staring at the floor.
"What do you want?" Suddenly he snapped and scared The Doctor a little bit. What did he want? He wanted so many things he didn't know how to answer this question, so many answers were running through his head like little Daleks who are trying to catch a mouse... wait what? Now he has definitely lost it. "I want things to be like in the good old days, back on Gallifrey when we were kids, just running through the fields like nothing in the world mattered but us, right there, right then." It's not like he lied or anything, he just wasn't intending to say it that way. The Master was looking at him. At first it looked like he was trying to find the right words that would make The Doctor trust him, but then his face became unreadable, just like always.
"Nothing can be back like in the good old days, Gallifrey's gone and so is everyone we knew. You want us to run in the fields like we're the only ones well guess what, we are the only ones. Nothing can ever be the same and you know it and just don't want to live with it because you feel like it's your fault." The Doctor looked at him, shocked.
The Master took a deep breath and continued talking, this time quieter. "It's not your fault." He sighed. "You had nothing else to do, even I know that and I'm the man who killed people for fun."
The Doctor just stared at The Master for what felt like years but was probably 5 seconds. He took a step toward The Master.
The Master was afraid of what's about to come and his face definitely showed that.
The Doctor was getting closer and closer to The Master. When they were barely centimeter apart The Doctor looked at him and unchained him with his sonic screwdriver.
They looked at each other but The Master broke the stare and looked at the floor again.
"Tell me about your adventures."
What?
"My adventures?" Why did The Master wanted to hear about his adventures? Was everything alright with him?
"Yes your adventures, right from after the time war, all the companions you had and where and when you visited."
The Doctor had no clue why The Master wanted to hear about it but he didn't complain, it's the first time anyone wanted to hear about his stories.
"Well, I was in my previous regeneration when I met Rose." Rose. Only the name gave him shivers. "We traveled to so many places and so many times. The end of earth and World War 2, which is where I met Jack actually." He had this very stupid smile on his face that made The Master shiver. "The story of why I regenerated is, well, kind of long and not very interesting but then I regenerated into this body." The Master giggled at The Doctor's excitement.
He told him the rest of the stories, all his and Rose's adventures, how he lost her, the sudden bride in The TARDIS, and Martha. The Master had a weird face, like he was feeling sorry for The Doctor.
"You loved her didn't you?" He knew he was talking bout Rose. Did he want to answer that question? Not really. Will he answer that question? Probably.
"Yes." Was all that he could say.
And then the unexpected happened.
The Master, he was hugging The Doctor.
As soon as he realized that this was really happening The Doctor hugged him back.
And in that moment, nothing mattered, but the two of them.