best_enemies | Rec: 'Five Lives the Master Saved' by Eponymous

Taking advantage of the gen provision in the guidelines for my final rec, because even though this has been recced on calufrax before, I know I missed it the first time around, and possibly others have as well. And it definitely deserves as wide an audience as possible:

Title: Five Lives the Master Saved
Pairing: Gen (Characters: Delgado!Master, Simm!Master, Koschei, Jo Grant, Martha Jones, Susan Foreman, Theta, Third Doctor, Tenth Doctor)
Length: 3750
Warnings: None
Rating: PG-13
Author on LJ:

eponymous_rose
Author Website: Stories archived on Teaspoon
Author's summary: Justifying the means becomes academic when you live in a world of endings.

Why this must be read: Because it's just a fascinating look at the Master, in all his complexity, while also setting up truly interesting contrasts between the Master's way of viewing things, and the Doctor's. Plus,

eponymous_rose's Delgado!Master voice in particular is just straight-up perfect.

Excerpt:

"Wait a minute. Do you expect us to believe you just- just cured this man by touching him?"

"Not particularly, no," the Master said, and turned around. "In fact, you might say I'm relying on your disbelief at the moment."

"Well," she said, and shrugged. "Thanks."

The Master sighed; he was beginning to wonder how the Doctor put up with all this gratitude for doing good deeds. "For what? I've exposed your stupidity in front of your peers."

She didn't flinch. "For saving a man's life," she said.

Link: Five Lives the Master Saved