Title: After the Rain
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: R
Table: 1, 10_hurt_comfort
Prompt: 2, Snuggle
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own Ianto Jones or the Tenth Doctor. Please do not sue.

***

Ianto frowned as he left the control room of the Tardis, heading down the corridor that led to the bedroom he shared with the Doctor. He knew that the Time Lord was there, and he hoped that the other man was in bed, after what they'd both been through in the last day or so.

He'd been glad to leave whatever planet they'd been on behind him -- no matter how many times the Doctor told him the name of the place, he couldn't remember it -- and get safely back to Earth. Though he couldn't help but wonder just how safe they were, if anyone tried to get into the Tardis ....

He smiled in spite of himself, shaking his head. Of course no one would try to get into the ship. It looked like a normal phone box on the outside, but there was something about the Tardis that made people pass by and not give the blue box a second glance.

Ianto made a mental note to ask the Doctor sometime just why that was. But not now; he didn't want the Time Lord to do anything at the moment but try to relax and get some rest.

Within the last two days, the Doctor had been chased, handcuffed, locked into a cell, beaten, and probably a few other things that he hadn't told Ianto about -- or that the young man hadn't seen for himself. That was something that he would want his lover to talk about.

But at least they'd come away from the encounter, and the planet that it had happened on, alive and relatively unscathed. He was sure that the Doctor had more than a few bumps and bruises, as he himself did, but they were both still alive and well. That was what counted.

His footsteps slowed as he neared the bedroom, his ears straining to catch any sound that might tell him what the Doctor was doing. He hoped that the other man had undressed and gotten into bed; when they had gotten back to the Tardis, he'd looked as though he needed to sleep for a week.

Ianto couldn't help but worry about that; it was rare that he saw the Doctor look worn out, but given what they'd so recently been through, he supposed it was inevitable. Still, he would have thought that there might be something about the Doctor's alien physiology that prevented fatigue.

No, that would be silly. Of course he got tired -- he might not be human, but he had physical needs, and he certainly wasn't some kind of super-being, though he did usually try to take too much responsibility onto himself. Ianto intended to stop that, or at least to moderate it as much as he could.

His breath came a bit faster as he thought of those physical needs; he intended to spend quite a bit of time satisfying them. As much time as he possibly could, actually.

Though not at the moment. All he wanted to do right now was to crawl into bed beside the man he loved, make sure that the Doctor was resting comfortably, and let himself relax. There were times, he thought wryly, when being with the Doctor was more exhausting than being an active member of Torchwood.

He couldn't hear any sound coming from their bedroom, so he could only assume that the Doctor had actually gone to bed. Maybe he was asleep, Ianto thought, a small smile curving his lips. It would be nice to slip into bed beside him, curl up with the Doctor in his arms, and fall asleep himself for a while.

Ianto peeked around the corner of the doorway, blushing when he realized that the Doctor was looking right at the door as though he'd been waiting for Ianto to come to him. The Time Lord was already obviously nude under the covers of their bed; he sat up when Ianto came into view in the doorway.

"There you are," he exclaimed, holding out his arms to his young lover. "I was wondering if you were coming to bed, or if you were going to spend all day pacing and worrying."

"You can hardly blame me for worrying about you, after everything that you went through on that planet," Ianto told him, moving into the room and going to the bed. He kicked off his shoes, turning to look at the man beside him and raising a hand to run it through the Doctor's hair.

"I know, I know. You can't help worrying. But I've dealt with worse situations before, Ianto -- just ask Jack." The Doctor frowned slightly, shaking his head as he said the words. "No, on second thought, don't ask Jack. He'll just tell you things that will make you worry even more."

"I've heard quite enough from Jack about the times he was on other planets with you." Ianto sighed, wishing his words hadn't sounded so brusque. "Sorry, love. I just don't like talking about your time with Jack. You're with me now, not with him -- but I can't help feeling a bit jealous sometimes."

The Doctor shook his head again, moving closer to Ianto and resting his head on the younger man's shoulder. "You have nothing to be jealous of, you know. I didn't choose to be with Jack. I chose you. That should count for something, shouldn't it?"

"I know you do," Ianto said softly, moving his hand down the Doctor's back and pulling him closer. "But I can't help feeling a little put out that he met you before I did. Still --" He grinned, laughing softly at his own words, "He only got Torchwood in the end. I got the .... girl."

The Doctor laughed along with him, amused by Ianto's description of him. "I don't think that's a very accurate description of me. I don't have the right parts, you know."

"I like the parts you do have just fine," Ianto murmured, tilting the Doctor's head back and gazing at the Time Lord's face. "I wouldn't trade them for anything else. I wouldn't change you -- who you are, or what you are -- for any reason."

The Doctor's eyes closed as Ianto's mouth covered his, his thin arms sliding around the young man's waist. When they finally came up for air, they were both breathing heavily; the Doctor's eyes looked a bit glassy to Ianto, and he couldn't help wondering if he should back off.

He pushed the Doctor down against the pillows, leaning over to brush his lips across the Gallifreyan's mouth again. "I think you should lie back and relax. You've been through a lot in the past few days, and I want to make sure you're all right."

The Doctor sighed, looking mutinous but not protesting. "You've been through a lot too, Ianto. You need rest just as much as I do -- if not more. You're human, after all. And you're not used to .... to situations like that." His voice trailed off, as if he couldn't think of just what he wanted to say.

"You forget, I'm a member of Torchwood," Ianto pointed out, tugging his shirt over his head. "I'm used to more strange situations than you might think. I know that I don't have as much field experience as the others, but I've been out there enough to know a bit about what I'm doing."

"I didn't mean it in a derogatory way, Ianto," the Doctor said softly, looking contrite. "And you're quite right -- I could use the rest. I think we both could."

"I know you didn't, love." Ianto hastened to assure the Doctor that he wasn't offended by what the Time Lord had said. He pulled the covers back on the bed, sliding beneath the sheets next to the Doctor and taking the other man into his arms. "I agree, we both need this."

"It's been a while since we had a chance to snuggle under the covers together, hasn't it?" The Time Lord's voice was pensive, thoughtful. "That's my fault, Ianto, and I'm sorry. I need to concentrate more on my time with you than on running off to new places."

"I don't mind the new places," Ianto told him, brushing his lips against the Doctor's hair. "That's quite exciting for me, you know. But .... let's try to stick to places that are a bit less .... disruptive, can't we? I don't want to get into another situation like that again."

"Your wish is my command," the Doctor said, holding a hand over his mouth to smother a yawn. "Less disruptive. You may be onto something there."

Ianto closed his eyes and let himself sink back against the pillows, feeling the tension drain out of him. He hadn't quite realized just how much he needed this -- a warm, safe, secure place for both of them, with the Doctor in his arms. It didn't get much better than this.

He lay there for what seemed like a long time, not speaking, just stroking the softness of the Doctor's hair and enjoying the closeness they shared. They didn't do this often enough, he thought, making a mental note to talk the Doctor into snuggling in bed with him whenever the opportunity arose.

Well, there was no time like the present for that, really. "You know, we should do this more often," he said softly, wishing that he could come up with a more eloquent presentation than that. But he was tired, and more words weren't hovering near the surface. That would have to do.

When the Doctor didn't answer him, Ianto glanced down at the man in his arms, wondering why the Time Lord didn't say anything. Surely he had to agree with what Ianto had just said; he was sure that the other man was enjoying this just as much as he was.

The Doctor hadn't answered because he was fast asleep, his head resting on Ianto's chest, his breath warm against the young man's skin.

Ianto couldn't keep back a smile at the sight. This was what he'd wanted, after all -- a chance for the Doctor to relax and put what he'd been through behind him. And the Time Lord certainly seemed to be doing that, though Ianto was startled that he'd fallen asleep so quickly.

Taking a deep breath, Ianto let himself relax after what felt like days of tension. It was good to be here, alone with the Doctor, in the one place that he knew they'd both be safe. Hopefully, they'd both be able to take advantage of their safety for a little while.

A small, wry smile quirked his lips at the thought. He knew that it wouldn't be long before the Doctor was taking them off to another planet -- and probably landing them in another strange situation. If he was honest, it was one of the most exciting things about the man he loved.

And he wouldn't want the Doctor to change, not really. In spite of the oddity of the life they were building together, Ianto had to admit that he was enjoying his life more than he ever had before the Doctor had been a part of it. Every day with this man was an adventure. One that he didn't ever want to end.

He hoped that it would be a while before they ended up on any more planets where they could get into sticky situations, Ianto thought as he snuggled down beneath the covers with his lover and closed his eyes. But if this was the outcome of doing that, then maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, after all.

***