Can't Sleep (Doctor/Master Fic)

[aunt_zelda]

Title: Can’t Sleep

Rating: PG … (right? No swears, no kissing, just snuggles!)

Characters:  Kenni and Jymes … little Timelords.

Pairing: Master/Doctor … when they were young.

Word Count: 528

Warnings: I’m American. My viewing of Doctor Who has been severely limited, incredibly mixed up, I’m not sure I spelled ‘Tocalfane’ right.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Doctor Who. If I did, the Master wouldn’t have ‘died.’ The Doctor would be ‘keeping’ him in S4, not cavorting with the Ood and what’s-her-name!                                                                     
My Thoughts: The names were pulled out of my wacky head. Young!Doctor and Young!Master are the cutest things EVER. *plots darker fics in the future*

 

 

 

 

In the middle of the night on Gallifrey, inside the Academy, a boy was crying. The other children had been telling stories before lights-out and, though he’d laughed with them then, he was terrified now. He’d fallen asleep briefly, only to be woken by a horrific nightmare.

“Jymes, what’s wrong?”

The crying boy poked his tousled head out from under his covers. Another boy, older by a year or two, was sitting on the edge of his bed, the moonlight illuminating the millions of tiny braids he wore his blond hair in.

“Kenni, the Toclafane’s gonna get me!” Jymes whispered, rubbing furiously at the tears streaming down his cheeks.

“There’s no such thing, Jymes,” Kenni said, frowning. “You know they only make up those stories for fun …” he looked around the darkened dormitory. “No Toclafane here.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t see it, would you? It only gets you when you close your eyes!” Jymes was nearing hysterics again.

Kenni sighed, glancing around again. “Ok, how about this?” he pulled Jymes into his arms. “I’ll keep my eyes open all night, and you can sleep. I won’t let the Toclafane get you, promise.”

Jymes stared at the older boy. “Really?”

Kenni nodded. “Really.” and, still holding Jymes tight, he flumped back down onto the bed. “Besides, I don’t sleep much these days anyway …”

Jymes bit his lip. “Because of the Rite?”

A few months ago Kenni had taken the Rite, and as soon as he’d returned to the Academy he’d drowned himself in the lake (he later regenerated, of course.) The adults never spoke about it, but you couldn’t keep such things from children, especially those who’d known Kenni before he took the Rite.

“Don’t you worry about the Rite, Jymes, it’s not so bad …” Jymes gave him a look and Kenni changed the subject. “Now, go to sleep, I’ll keep watch for the Toclafane.”

Jymes tentatively closed his eyes and snuggled up against Kenni, pressing his ear to the other boy’s chest, letting the steady beats of the twin hearts lull him to sleep.

He’d be ok … Kenni wouldn’t let the Toclafane get him …

~*~

Kenni smiled as the younger boy drifted into a peaceful sleep. He remembered that: sleep. The Drums hadn’t let him sleep since the Rite … he felt a stab of jealousy, which was immediately quelled by the faint smile on Jymes’ little face.

He was so distracted by Jymes’ face that at first he didn’t realize it. When he did he almost sat up in bed in shock.

Ba-bump (ba-bump) … ba-bump (ba-bump) … ba-bump (ba-bump) …

The Drums weren’t beating out the erratic, horrific pattern they’d been going at for these past months. They were going at the same pace, the same rate, the same rhythm, as Jymes’ little hearts. It was … almost soothing …

Kenni hadn’t felt this peaceful since the Rite. It felt … wonderful.

Kenni blinked, glanced around for the Toclafane with a grin, and closed his eyes, resting his head on the pillow next to Jymes.

The Drums and Jymes’ heartbeats eased Kenni into the first sleep he’d had in eighty-seven days.

 

 

Comments

[blueskypenguin.livejournal.com]

That's really sweet!

The names work well, but just so you know, the Master does have a semi-canonical name: Koshei. And the Doctor had the nickname Theta Sigma at the Academy which is generally used on the assumption that it either was his name, or he was known only by that. There is a book, I think, that suggests that the Doctor's name was actually a series of mathematical symbols which began theta and sigma. Most people tend to use these names for Academy!Fic.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

That's really sweet!
Awwww, thank you!

The names work well, but just so you know, the Master does have a semi-canonical name: Koshei. And the Doctor had the nickname Theta Sigma at the Academy which is generally used on the assumption that it either was his name, or he was known only by that. There is a book, I think, that suggests that the Doctor's name was actually a series of mathematical symbols which began theta and sigma. Most people tend to use these names for Academy!Fic.
Oh DAMN ... THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STUMBLE INTO A PAIRING THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES! Should I change them? *blinkblink* Why is the Master's 'name' 'Koshei?' Why does it sound Japanese to me?

(OMG your ICON! I say 'allo!' all the time since I saw that ...)

[blueskypenguin.livejournal.com]

I know, I think you're just meant to pick these things up as you go along. Wikipedia can help quite a bit. His name (and I misspelled it, sorry, it's Koschei. I knew it looked too short when I looked at it. Never mind.) wasn't mentioned in the shows, just in a novel (hence the semi-canon part). The nickname Theta was in the show however, when a Time Lord, Drax calls Four "Thete", short for "Theta Sigma". It was later clarified as a nickname from his Academy days. And I believe there is a book by Terrance Dicks and someone else which claims that the Doctor's name is a string of Greek and mathematical symbols.

Ah, the things you learn. But there are massive entries on Wikipedia under "the Master" and "the Doctor" which is where I check all my canon facts for D/M fic. It's a big help.

And yep - Labyrinth is immense.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

I know, I think you're just meant to pick these things up as you go along.
Arrrrrrrrrgh, is that why not many people are reading my stuff? Or will this be a gradual proceeding?

It was later clarified as a nickname from his Academy days.
So I COULD be right ... I get the feeling these two have had a LOT of names over the centuries ...

And yep - Labyrinth is immense.
*grinz, then gets 'Magic Dance' stuck in head and groans*

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Be not a slave to canon! :) Both of those names are only guesses, anyway. 'Koschei' comes out of one of the not-really-canon novels, and 'Theta' is what an old teacher of the Doctor's calls him once in passing.

Koschei, by the by, is the name of an immortal monster from Russian folklore. He was usually bad news, but he could also be goofy, and every so often he'd do something awkwardly sweet.

Also, hi!

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Be not a slave to canon! :) Both of those names are only guesses, anyway. 'Koschei' comes out of one of the not-really-canon novels, and 'Theta' is what an old teacher of the Doctor's calls him once in passing.
Okay then! I think these two have had MANY MANY different names, and the ones I chose just FIT them in my head. Jymes ... James ... Chimes ... Doctor ... (it makes sense in my head!)

Koschei, by the by, is the name of an immortal monster from Russian folklore. He was usually bad news, but he could also be goofy, and every so often he'd do something awkwardly sweet.
*sporfles* That sounds like the Master! *looks into 'Koschei'*

Also, hi!
'ello! Nice to make your aquaintense! I only just became a Master-fangirl two weeks ago then promptly got hit over the head by the Doctor/Master stuff (I mean, come on, HUGGLES and FORGIVENESS?! We base pairings on much, much less ...)

Cute icon!

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Awwwwww, that's adorable!
Hee, thanks! I was writing this really dark, disturbing, rather smutty Doctor/Master fic and then I thought 'huh, what fairy-tales DID they tell about the Toclafane back on Gallifrey? And how did the Doctor and the Master react to them?' Hense: little-boy snuggles!

We all know that The Master is indeed in love with The Doctor
Oh hell yeah! It causes him great mental-distress because it's not so much a 'lust' thing as a 'forever yours' thing and the Master has never felt like that EVER and he wants to HATE the Doctor and he kinda does but he also loves him to little shiny pieces and ... I could go on and on and on and I think I'll make that a fic ...

(well, assuming Jymes is indeed The Doctor).
Yes he is! *giggles* I like to think that the Doctor wasn't so badass as a kid and that 'Kenni' was forever comforting him ... later on, in more ways than one ...

Man those last few episodes of the third season was slashy...
I went from instant-Master-fangirl to instant-Doctor/Master-fangirl in about five seconds.