A/N: Me and Izzy are gonna be alternating chapters, so I wrote this one. I probably won't put on the top of each who wrote it, it should be easy to work out :P
Broken
Chapter 2
Koschei didn't move except to curl himself up, as though make himself smaller could make the pain less. Logically he knew this could never work, but all sensible thoughts had abandoned him, leaving him with only the complete and al- consuming pain. The drums were thumping in his head faster and louder than he could remember them being. They were screaming in protest against what had just happened, screaming that for that short while they had had to share his mind with someone who wasn't supposed to be there. Screaming against the lack of control Koschei had had over himself. They were scolding him for not being able to protect himself. He could barely bear it, he was sure the pain would eventually destroy him if he stayed there long enough and that was what he planned to do. Tears were streaming down his cheeks helplessly, from the pain both physical and psychological. The drums scolded him for that as well, the pathetic action of allowing himself to cry. He should've been above that. He didn't care though, he couldn't care. He couldn't care about that or anything else, it hurt too much.
Something at the back of his mind knew that lying in the dirt and mud was not a good idea. It was not what a young Time Lord did. Yet a bigger, more consuming part of him thought it seemed fitting. He felt disgusting, he felt dirty, so surely lying in the dirt was perfect. A poetic justice was it not? It didn't make sense in his fractured mind that only a short time ago he had been laughing with his Theta. Only a short time before he had been worried about his father's 'perfect' marriage match, now everything hurt and nothing was a comfort. Theta's loving arms, his mother's calming herbs, none of it was a help to his mind. If anything thinking of Theta made the pain somewhat worse, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had betrayed Theta. This special, meaningful action which he wanted to save for his Theta, that he had allowed Barin to take from him, from the pair of them. The tears stopped with that thought and the pain seemed to reach a level so intense he felt numb.
He knew he couldn't stay there, as much as he may want to just stay there and eventually let the forest consume him, he knew he couldn't. If he wasn't back soon his father would send the servants out to find him and added to everything else would be a lecture on how he should be behave like a proper Time Lord, not messing around in the mud. He knew he wouldn't be able to explain to his father what had happened. He wouldn't be able to say to anyone that had happened. He just had to carry on as though nothing had happened, that's what everyone had to see. He forced himself to his feet and waited for the ground to stop spinning before forcing himself to head home.
"Where have you been?" Lord Oakdown demanded the second Koschei was in his presence.
"I was- I-" Koschei swallowed and pulled himself together. The drums were still thumping loudly but he knew he had to ignore them, he knew he had to continue as though everything was normal. He began again, "I was just with Theta," he told his father.
His father's scowl intensified, "That boy is clearly a bad influence on you, Koschei," Lord Oakdown and Koschei knew this rant was going to be both long and repetitive. Koschei put one hand to his forehead but otherwise made no indication of the level of pain he was in. His father didn't need to know. "You need to learn what it means to be a proper Time Lord. You need to learn to behave in the correct fashion. You are a disgrace, you need to shape up. Allowing one boy to cause you to act in such a way is just now acceptable."
Koschei stayed quiet, barely hearing what Lord Oakdown was saying but getting the basic gist of it.
"And just look at the state of you," Lord Oakdown continued, eyeing Koschei up and down in disgust. "What exactly have you been doing? Rolling around in the mud? You are not a pre-Academy child, anymore, Koschei, it is high time you started acting like the young Time Lord you are supposed to be. I will not allow you to disgrace and shame this family."
There was a lot Koschei could've said, a lot the drums were driving him to say, comments about how Lord Oakdown was managing that himself, but he forced himself to stay quiet. For not the first time Koschei wished he had siblings, if he had siblings the pressure to become a Time Lord fit to be Lord President of Gallifrey would not be so great on him. He didn't want the pressure, he wasn't sure he could hold the position and he certainly didn't want to.
Koschei stayed quiet, listening enough to nod and mutter in agreement when necessary but otherwise barely able to take in what his father was saying. His father ended his rants with the usual "Now get out of my sight," and Koschei didn't need telling twice. On his way to his room he came across his Mother.
Lady Oakdown took one look at him and sighed, "Are you ok, Koschei?"
"Mm," he muttered, not looking at her properly, "Just a headache."
Lady Oakdown smiled slightly and placed her hand on his shoulder, "You get yourself up to bed, I'll bring you up some herbs."
Koschei forced a smile onto his face, though the action was near on impossible through the pain, he nodded a thank you and headed towards his room. Once he was there he made no effort to get changed out of his Academy robes before simply falling onto his bed. He lay flat, staring at the ceiling for a long moment, feeling nothing but pain souring through every inch of his body. He collapsed, losing consciousness due to the pain long before Lady Oakdown came with the herbs.