best_enemies | Fic: Pretending (Reply)

Title: Pretending
Author: lucife
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ten/AU!Master
Word Count: 703
Spoilers: Post Jorney's End
Summary: Just for a while, they could pretend
thanks

captainpegas for betaing!

He saves his life when the Doctor, once more, loses everyone. He pretends to be a human called Henry, and the Doctor pretends to believe him when he asks Henry to travel with him.

When the Doctor shows him the TARDIS Henry says the obligatory “It’s bigger on the inside!” and spends a good five minutes circling around the TARDIS in fake disbelief. He pretends to be impressed when the Doctor shows him the wonders of the Universe, alien planets, the past, the future and all in the middle. The Doctor pretends not to hear how every time Henry touches the console, the TARDIS lets out a sound that is too much like a sob.

Touching him, Henry pretends it isn’t intentional and the Doctor pretends not to notice. They travel together and don’t care to hide their happy grins as they run, hand in hand, from different things. They save worlds, too, and Henry not always just pretends to enjoy it.

Unlike his previous companions Henry seems to follow the rule number one and never wanders off.

As much as the Doctor would like to, he does not lie when Henry asks him about his people. He tells him about Time War and how they knew they lost when one of the very few people who could change the course of war died – or run away, they never did know. He tells him about the fall of Arcadia, and how he ended the war. He tells him how did it feel, or more importantly how not even for a second it felt like he was God.

Henry pretends his sadness is just compassion.

The Doctor pretends not to notice when Henry absentmindedly taps familiar rhythm. But he does take his hand and dances with him.

When they stop ignoring how good it feels just to be able to touch each other, the man who is not Henry learns how happy he can be even when the Doctor doesn’t call him by the right name.

He pretends not to recognize places where the Doctor takes them, even when they go to the Medusa Cascade and the Doctor tells him the last chapter of the Time War.

The Doctor doesn’t introduce him to Sarah Jane when he has the chance, although he does introduce him to Martha. She invites them for a dinner, and when Francine serves the tea Henry claims with a charming smile it to be the very best cup of tea he has ever drunk. Francine wonders how does she know exactly how much sugar and milk Henry likes in his tea. He’s being very courteous with Martha, Tish and their mother and the Doctor is relieved Tom isn’t there. Martha realizes that glances Henry throws at the Doctor are not unlike those she used to, only this time they are being returned.

When she asks how is he these days, she doesn’t hear “I’m alright” in response. He simply tells “I’m not alone”. Martha freezes for a moment, but then she thinks He’d never… He wouldn’t dare. She looks at Henry and murmurs “So Tallulah wasn’t that much wrong about you and musical theatre”. The Doctor doesn’t pretend to understand the joke. Henry laughs a little, although not for the same reason Martha does. The Doctor reaches for his hand just a span before he would have started tapping on the table and doesn’t let go until they’re leaving.

He trusts Henry to give Donna Christmas present from him, a pendant with a jewel, beautiful and unusual, but not unusual enough to be recognized as precious mineral from another planet, the one where the song of DoctorDonna still can be heard.

When the time comes, they make their goodbyes. On a barren land they stay, and ash under their feet is the remnants of the funeral pyre. Three words one of them says to the other are not “I forgive you”, but he still knows them before they are spoken.

“I’m sorry”, says the other, and they both do not pretend.

Next time they meet, the Doctor has regenerated, the Master has a new body too. They pretend last time they saw each other was on Valiant.

Across the constellations, they fight.