She learned it the hard way. Some people were never meant to exist. Not even the Doctor wants her as a companion. But then the Master saves her from certain death and discovers that this human girl might be of more use to him than he expected.
Ranki...
A/N: There will be mentions of past abuse... nothing explicit, but it's there. Just a little TW here. :3
I hope you're all okay out there. The lack of light always makes me super tired around this time of the year *sigh* And I'm so absolutely not at all in the mood for Christmas. It just doesn't feel like it, idk.
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Kira wriggled out of my hands and crawled up my shoulder, nudging his snout against my cheek. I looked to the side, right into his purple little eyes and he licked my nose.
Warm. It was such a warm gesture. The knot in my chest loosened and tears welled inside my eyes. I couldn't hide. I had to face the truth that I would vanish one day and leave everyone behind. It would all end.
A shuffling nearby startled me. And then there was a voice. His voice.
"I ran again, didn't I?" The Master was leaning against one of the coral pillars, arms wrapped around himself, his face not showing any emotion. But his words told another story, as did the mere fact that he had returned instead of vanishing for days. "It's not as if I wouldn't know," he mumbled. "The old man just reminded me how little time you humans have."
"Yeah," I choked out, trying to keep my eyes dry. "I had the same thought."
The Master stared at me, his face unreadable. "You always complain I'm running. But if I don't..."
Feeling uneasy, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, uncertain how to proceed. "Can't blame you," I confessed. There's... nothing I can do about it. No matter what..." It was so hard to keep my voice steady. I heard it slip and jitter.
I couldn't help it. The tears just started to fall completely on their own when he approached. I plugged down my glasses, trying to wipe the tears away, but they just kept coming. Maybe I was dreaming, maybe it all wasn't real, but it felt as real as anything could feel when the Master suddenly wrapped his arms around my shaking form and pressed me tightly against him, when he let me sob into his shirt and let me cling to him as if the universe itself was trying to tear me away. I felt his chin on my head and Kira's nose against my cheek and there was the rapid thudding of two hearts, beating faster than I was used to.
"It doesn't matter, you know," he said quietly. "Maybe you're just a blip in the eternity of my life. But I will remember. I will always remember."
"Promise," I whispered, clawing my fingers tighter into the cloth of his shirt.
The Master chuckled. "You're such an insufferable, miserable creature, and you're soaking my shirt with your useless human tears. You really think I could forget?" He gently pushed me away, swiping his thumbs over my cheeks. A soft smile was playing on his lips, his eyes were warm, making my heart hurt even more.
"You will," I breathed. "Everyone does, in the end." My breath quivered, remembering all of the times I had been forgotten, abandoned, discarded, betrayed. "No one ever seems to remember me when I'm gone for too long."
