#but you can also boop lovingly and mischievously at the same time

[how-masterful]

Diamond In The Rough

Dhawan!master x reader

Summary: There's a reason you've been so drawn to the stars. There's a reason the Master took such interest in you. There's also a reason he brought you here on this specific planet, in this specific spot, on this specific night: Only he won't tell you just yet. Because that would spoil the surprise.

Notes: a VERY happy birthday to the one and only @plethora-of-imagines! My partner in crime, consultant in all things masterful, kneecap thief and reason I started this whole page! Have a fabulous birthday queen- this one is most definitely dedicated to you. I hope it lives up to the hype! ❤👑🥳

The universe was a very, very big place. This was a fact that you didn't need to travel with a time travelling alien to realize was undoubtedly true. 

Learning about the universe on earth was... Limited. To say the least. Life beyond the stars was locked in the box of hypothetical conversation, pressed between the pages of countless philosophy and astrology books and stuffed into the midnight musings of "is there really life out there in the universe?" 

For years that question plagued you, hung in your mind like a veil over the fading black spots of your draining day to day. Others would blame their extra terrestrial musings on too many drug trips in the 60's or college, some on late night conspiracy youtube binges. But you blamed yours on simple curiosity- 'if there truly was life out there, why haven't we met it yet?'

But as you grew older, that youthful wonder and curiosity in the universe became something of a fascination. You checked your horoscope every morning, held countless books on the subject- you’d even acquired an old telescope from a family friend. The lady you’d acquired it from said her father loved staring up at the stars every night, made it a part of his routine .You never understood why she looked so sad when she said it, but you soon came to understand the connection people had with the stars.

Or, better yet, the people who travelled among them.

People like the man who currently held your hand in his own.

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Master, you are NOT responsible for Roswell!"

"Really? Who are you going to believe, darling? Your 1000 year old alien husband, or a middle aged redneck blogger?"

You let out a small snorting laugh, the man beside you smiling fondly as you sighed and shook your head. You squoze your conjoined hands, allowing your head to rest back on the purple tartan blanket with a dreamy sigh.

The pair of you were on a hill, a large open plane of thick grass, lay on a blanket beneath an ocean of swirling stars. The TARDIS sat parked in the distance, the familiar shack you called home glowing with the fairy lights you'd insisted on hanging around the roof of the veranda. You'd both abandoned your shoes and socks, a picnic basket and empty plates sat to the side, a half empty bottle of wine and two glasses still standing. Your lipstick still freshly sat along the brim.

The Master had prepared the feast for you both, the basket full of fruits and delicacies from planets far and wide. You couldn't help but moan at the tastes and aromas that encapsulated your senses, the flavors causing beautiful chaos upon your tongue. You supposed beautiful chaos was the Masters speciality. You'd sat in his lap and opened wide as you allowed yourself to be pliantly fed, the guttural groan that escaped the masters lips as you licked the crumbs from his fingertips causing your whole body to tremble with delight. But now the pair of you lay side by side, the Masters coat abandoned and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows as you both gazed up at the dazzling dark sky.

"I'm telling you doll, never dare a drunk alien prankster- They'll neck down a bottle and start a whole subgenre of conspiracy theories in a single afternoon."

The Master took a strawberry from the hole at his side, taking a bite and discarding the top as you continued to shake your head. He let out a disappointed sigh- but there was no bite behind the gesture.

"Don't tell me you believe the redneck."

You shrugged innocently, biting your bottom lip to hold back your smirk.

"I must admit I'm more inclined to, Master. That tinfoil hat makes them hard to resist."

The time lord let out a proud laugh, eyes scrunching shut as you allowed your attention to stray from the sky. You admired the playful scrunch of his nose, the small lines that formed besides his eyes and in the curve of his cheeks when he smiled. His lips would always part, exposing his teeth. You supposed his usual laugh acted as a snarl, a threatening gesture to all opposition that he took joy in causing such pain. But here, under the starlight, there was no malice behind his grin. This was simple, unstoppable happiness that held an innocence that was rare to the Master. Or at least, rare to the universe. It was a sight you knew happily too well.

"You still haven't explained, Master." You finally spoke, eyes soft as the timelord's head turned in your direction.

"It's simple, pet. There's this race from quadrant nine, all of them three feet tall and neon green-"

You lightly rolled your eyes and smiled.

"I don't mean Roswell, I mean tonight. But expect many more questions about that to follow."

The Master smirked teasingly, hair lightly falling just beside his eye.

"Noted- I'll be sure to dig out the photo album."

"Why here?"

The Masters smirk morphed into a light dusting of confusion. A scrunched brow, one eye slightly more squinted than the other.

"What do you mean, love?"

"I mean, why tonight? You said we had to be on this planet, on this exact night, this exact year."

Realisation soon spread across his face. He nodded lightly, lips pursed as he looked up in thought.

“What are you planning in that mischievous head of yours?”

The Master smiled, allowing himself to lay flat on his back once more. He pulled his hand from your own, allowing you to nestle into his side as he took hold of your other hand. Your rings clashed together with a gentle click of metal, the diamond shining bright in the white glow of the moon. You smiled, head softly resting upon the timelord's chest as his other hand rested upon his stomach, his hearts rhythmically thumping under your temple like thunder. He tilted his head to look down at you, brushing a stray hair from your face.

"The universe is... complicated, love. It's like, its like that book you were reading a couple days ago. God, what was the name? It began with an A-"

"Alice's adventures in wonderland?"

The time lord nodded, booping the end of your nose tenderly with his finger.

"That's the one. It's like Wonderland. And the time vortex is the rabbit hole. It's so easy to get lost, to fall deep within its walls and find yourself confused and discombobulated on the other end.”

You couldn't hold back your smirking laughter. The Master rolled his eyes, pretending not to notice your childish reaction to his choice of words.

“But when you do find your way it's… strange. Unusual. Every planet and constellation and dynasty a new nook and cranny for you to explore. Wolds upon worlds of crooked doorways and spiral tunnels and rooms full of doors that lead you right back to where you started.”

You hummed in thought. You supposed the universe was like Wonderland, in a sense- your life turning upside down the moment you followed the Time Lord into his TARDIS and down the rabbit hole. You snorted internally at the thought of the Master being somewhat of a white rabbit. He already had the pension for time down pat, and arguably his beard and messy hair acted somewhat as a fur coat. You wouldn't dare say it to his face, but judging by his unimpressed expression he’d already heard you.

“But then, once you’ve already reached the precipice of curiosity, you meet the people around you. Whole races and subspecies of people that exist in the same space and time and universe as you but are all so, so different. Some of them are bloody boring, like the Shushans. What's so impressive about having your mouth on the bottom of your foot? And don’t even get me started on the Yomno, i mean- how can your whole race tell the future from spitting on a grain of rice yet all be so god damn dull-”

“Master, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Getting annoyed at other races for being your version of boring.”

The timelord sighed, causing you to giggle. You gently nestled closer to his side, the Masters other hand reaching up to tenderly cup your jaw.

“But then, once in a lifetime, you find something truly unexplored. Like a disappearing cat, or a dodo that died long ago but refused to acknowledge its own extinction, or a girl that fell down the rabbit hole and into the hands of a certainly very mad man. A rarity among the rubble of the basic and mundane. I believe you humans refer to it as a diamond in the rough. The time lords were once like that.”

You let your gaze meet his, confusion dancing across your face.

“Diamonds in the rough?”

“No, they were the rough. I was the diamond.”

“Master!”

You playfully smacked him across the chest, causing him to chuckle deviously.

“As I was saying, before I was so lovingly interrupted, sometimes you find something beautiful. But also curious, a mystery that even the most uninterested man would be desperate to pry their nails into and figure out how they worked. What made them tick. What made them happy. What made them desperate..."

The Master's thumb trailed over your bottom lip, his own lips parted as you let out a trembling breath. His lips curved into a soft smile, watching you lightly squirm under his touch. He pulled his face in closer.

"Humans are simultaneously the shining diamonds and the disgusting scum of the universe. Civilisations have grown in their honour and crumbled at their hands but none of them, not one single human, ever have or ever will compare to you. You're the breathing equivalent of lightning in a bottle, a single drop of rain upon a field desperate for salvation from a drought. A blessing. A gift. My diamond in the rough of a universe that does not deserve a single part of her. I don't deserve you. But here you are.``

His thumb gently caught the tear that threatened to fall down your cheek. You reached up to cup his cheek, the timelord nestling into the palm of your hand. Your noses bumped together at the sudden proximity, and you could feel your heart racing like a steam train in your chest.

"But here I am." You smiled through your tears, a choked laugh emerging from your throat, your thumb softly caressing the apple of his cheek. You could feel his hot breath against your own, his eyes heavy with lust and adoration.

"With the man whom I love more than anything else in the universe, who's shown me things I could never have imagined and treated me like a goddess when compared to him? I'm positively minuscule."

The Master let out a huff, his breath caught in the back of his throat as your lips ghosted over his own.

"Don't you dare think you're anything less than the universe" He whispered, gaze fixated on your lips as your foreheads softly touched.

"Oh yeah? And what if I do?" You returned, your bottom lip brushing against the Master's own, tongue teasing at the time lord's top lip as he growled lowly, voice rough and restrained.

"i'll rearrange the stars themselves piece by piece until you understand just how pathetic it is in comparison."

The distance between your lips was essentially non existent.

"Prove it, Master. Please."

And prove it he did. 

The Masters lips attacked your own with a desperate hunger, your eyes fluttering shut as the force sent you rocking backwards. You kept a tight grip on his face, keeping yourself steady as you pushed your lips back against his own. you'd be damned if the kiss were one sided.

His tongue slid in with ease, the hot taste of his tongue causing you to moan desperately against his mouth. The moan was reciprocated in earnest by the Master, his thumb gently pulling on your chin to allow his mouth further access to your own. You parted further, desperate to please, the sweet taste of your lips sending the time lord deeper into a spiral of lust.

You never knew how much you treasured the taste of his lips until the threat of their absence drew near, your own tongue forcing your way into his mouth like an anchor of perseverance. You took hold of both sides of his face, foreheads together as you hummed against his lips, causing him to crumble under your fingers with a chesty growl of dominance. He was hot fire, a delicious flame of lust licking and burning the inside of your mouth, and eventually the need for air forced your mouths apart.

The pair of you panted, breath escaping both parties as his arms wound tight around your shoulders, pulling you close. You gathered your breath as you nuzzled closer to the Masters side, lips red and glossy as you let your forehead rest upon his temple.

"That… Wow. I think you proved it."

"Did you ever doubt I would?"

You could hear the smirk in his tone, your eyes still fluttered shut as you came down from the high. You could still taste his mouth, the ghost of the strawberries still lingering on his tongue.

"I dunno Master… Still not seeing a tinfoil hat."

The eye roll was practically audible. The gasp certainly was.

"It's time, quick love, look."

You allowed your eyes to open, your gaze fixating on the stars above as they swirled in circular formation. Your mouth gaped open in shock as the pair of you sat up and looked to the sky.

"What are they doing?" You asked in wonderment, the Masters grip on you tightening.

"The whole reason we came here tonight. The once in a lifetime moment. Those drawings of the stars, the shapes they make. This is where they come from."

It was practically magic. Any other person would say it was witchcraft.

"Diamonds in the rough" you whispered, and the Master nodded triumphantly.

The stars swirled in ribbons of white, the dark black of the sky melting around them as the pin pricks in the black began to pulsate and grow with rapid speed. The stars began to link, intricate lines seared into the fabric of the sky like thread as the tiny stars began to merge and form into outlines of figures and shapes. A bear, a woman holding a sword, a pegasus with wings. Vast shapes of all sizes began to move and shift and form. Your eyes sparkled with wonder as the stars shone like diamonds.

It was too much to believe. Until they started to move.

Suddenly, the pegasus bucked up it's hind legs and began galloping across the sky. The woman drew her sword and charged, the scorpion's tale whipping in challenge. The bear plodded across the inky black, back pressed against the rams horns as it scratched itself as if upon a tree. All around you, hundreds of thousands of creatures moved and ran and flew across the darkness, the distant echoes of their commotion floating through the atmosphere.

A pair of lips softly pressed against your temple, trailing a line of kisses down until they ghosted over the shell of your ear.

"What do you think, darling?"

The Master whispered, breath hot on your ear and making you shiver.

"Its… Master its… Thank you. Thank you so much."

The tears from before had returned as the dazzling stars reflected in the sheen of your eyes, as the time lord beside you hummed in appreciation.

"Happy birthday, Y/N." The Master softly whispered, a tender kiss pressed to your cheek. 

In an instant you return to facing him, your lips pressed together once more, stars a distant priority beyond the pull of your husband's lips.

The constellations above returned to their original position, the pulsating giants of the sky suddenly bursting like fireworks in the night. The stardust began to fall atop your heads like something out of a fairy tale, like raining pixie dust as the stars returned to their pin prick size, now shimmering like the lights around the TARDIS veranda. 

But the pair of you were too busy for pixie dust. You didn't need the universe, or the stars, or magic at all.

You were already, well and truly, living happily ever after.

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