OH !  THE HORROR !

[ win ]  –  for the sender’s muse to place a hand on the receiver’s neck and rest their forehead against the receiver’s own for a close congrats or excitement at something. [ brush ]  –  for the sender’s muse to give the receiver’s muse a passing touch along the shoulder’s / back as they walk by. [ hold ]  –  for the sender’s muse to hold the receiver’s muse by the face / neck gently and brush their thumbs along their cheeks to get them to focus on them. [ passing confidence ]  –  for the sender’s muse brush their finger’s against the receiver’s muse’s hand, too scared to hold their hand. [ intertwine ]  –  for the sender’s muse to intertwine their finger’s the receiver’s muse and kiss the back of their hand. [ intertwine & kiss ]  –  for the sender’s muse to intertwine their finger’s the receiver’s muse and kiss the back of their hand. [ intertwine & hold ]  –  for the sender’s muse to intertwine their finger’s the receiver’s muse and hold them during an emotional moment to reassure them. [ wrap ]  –  for the sender’s muse to casually wrap their arms around the receiver’s neck and lean on their shoulder from behind. [ palm kiss ]  –  for the sender’s muse to kiss the palm of receiver’s hand. [ hand kiss ]  –  for the sender’s muse to kiss the back of the receiver’s hand. [ lay ]  –  for the sender’s muse to lay next to the receiver and lay their hand in the receiver muses’ hand. [ reassure ]  –  for the sender’s muse to place their hand over the receiver’s in a moment of stress and squeeze reassuringly. [ squeeze ]  –  for the sender’s muse to place their hands on the receiver’s shoulders from behind, and offer a reassuring / affirming squeeze before moving on. [ pluck ]  –  for the sender to pluck a foreign object ( twig / leaf / etc. ) out of the receiver muses’ hair. [ play ]  –  for the sender’s muse to run their hand up the receiver’s shoulder and play with the hair at the base of their neck as a means of comfort. [ rub ]  –  for the sender muse to rub up and down the receiver’s back / shoulder as a means of comfort. [ shoulder ]  –  for the sender’s muse to place a hand on the receiver’s shoulder to comfort them, or stop them. [ hug ]  –  for the sender’s muse to drag the receiver’s muse into a tight hug by the back of the neck, and play with their hair at the base of their neck in order to comfort them. [ shock ]  –  for the sender to recoil a bit in shock at how quick the receiver latches onto them in a moment of high emotion, before returning the affections. [ cup ]  –  for the sender’s muse to cup the receiver’s face, and brush their thumb along the receiver’s cheek. [ hair ]  –  for the sender to brush a strand of hair out of the receiver’s face. [ hair & lean ]  –  for the sender to brush a strand of hair out of the face, and lean in slowly for a kiss. [ cup & kiss ]  –  for the sender’s muse to cup the receiver muses’ face during an incredibly passionate and long overdue kiss. [ what a rush ]  –  for the long long overdue kiss to end, only for the sender to rest their head on the receiver’s, and comment “do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?” [ no tears ]  –  for the sender to cup the receiver’s face and brush away their tears with their thumbs. [ no tears & kiss ]  –  for the sender to cup the receiver’s face and brush away their tears with their thumbs & kiss the receiver’s forehead. [ stumble ]  –  for the sender’s muse to catch and help the receiver’s muse keep balance. [ shudder ]  –  for the sender to shudder a little at some gentle touch from the receiver. [ nononono! ]  –  for the sender to hold the receiver’s head / face while they’re injured, brush their thumb along their cheeks & refuse to accept that the receiver is dying. [ acceptance ]  –  for the sender & receiver to sit / lay somewhere in acceptance of their ends together. in a final act of closeness, the sender places their hand in the receiver’s own.

❥ :  tucking stray hair behind their ear

✿ : trailing soft kisses down their arm

☁ : cuddling with them under a blanket

★ : pressing a kiss to the back of their hand

▲ : leaning your head against their shoulder

♪ : singing them a lullaby and brushing their hair

◆ : wrapping your arms around them from behind

✤ : lacing your fingers into theirs and holding their hands

♣ : slowly pulling them into your lap to curl up and cuddle

▨ : rubbing their back to calm them down when they’re upset

𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒, and the now absence of pressure ... all the more noticeable after the master's final, poignant 𝚜𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚎𝚣𝚎 — did he miss it? the strong point of contact, the subtle pain caused ... that would be a concerning interesting development ... it lingered, still, the feeling. skin slightly red from where the other time lord had grasped him, small indents from the impression of the other's nails. the doctor rubbed at one wrist absent-mindedly, fingers flexing.

dark eyes flickered up once more, looking through long lashes to meet the master's gaze with a hard stare — QUIET, the doctor had instructed ... of course, the other hadn't listened. when did they ever do as he asked ?? still, though, he shot back a murmured— ❝ yeaaah, but you'd be bored otherwise. ❞ the words were accompanied by a cheeky smirk, the corners of his lips twitching upwards slightly.

the moment was instantly lost, however, as the master reached into his pockets to produce the lazer screwdriver — smile faultering slightly, the doctor let out a soft sigh as his gaze was drawn to the weapon ... destructive, dangerous and 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍 for his current companion. he was still wary of that particular piece of tech, having experienced the damage it could do first hand in the year that never was.

❝ not with that, you're not. if you want to help, great, brilliant ... but we don't harm, we don't kill. ❞ they weren't even entirely sure what had been chasing them. perhaps the creature was just lost, and scared ... perhaps it could be trapped, caught and then re-released on it's rightful planet.

... perhaps the doctor was thinking to much in possibilities, but he couldn't let the hopeful optimist in him die out completely.

          LITTLE DID THE DOCTOR KNOW JUST HOW RIGHT HE WAS. with a pouted lip, the master graced those words with an eye roll. unfortunately his options were DIE of boredom back on the tardis, or this . . . well this was proving to be something.

          the master's neck craned back dramatically, extending back to the side until eventually coming to halt to give the doctor a particularly pointed glare. it lacked a certain authentication. not one he'd ever willingly admit to, after all — rather take the laser to his mouth than admit that he was actually enjoying this. push and pull, cat and mouse, it always the same game. ❝ you're no fun. come on, you can't honestly tell me you that you don't harm. ❞ what other way was there? the claim bordered on curious rather than accusatory. for once.

          a crisp metallic clinking sound was made as they tapped the end of the screwdriver against the doctor's chest. eyes momentarily glued to the weapon of destruction before cocking a brow up at him, ❝ what's the plan then, hm ? because so far, i'm not gathering the sense there's much of one. oh, you know, except for mine. ❞ he mirrors the disappointed sigh the other had given him just moments before. in his case, he just couldn't stop smiling. maybe he didn't hate the cramped space in the way he tried to convince himself, only uncomfortable when seeming in a lack of control.

          and he'd grasp at any sense of control like a starved dog.