Title: Birthday Wishes
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ianto Jones
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1, 50scenes
Prompt: 14, Sing
Author's Note: Written for the wonderful develish1 for her birthday!
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Tenth Doctor or Ianto Jones, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***


Ianto sighed as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was another year older today, and somehow, it didn't seem to matter that he was immortal now. He still felt older on his birthday; he'd grown so used to thinking that growing older was a bad thing.

According to the Doctor, aging wasn't bad; it was just an opportunity to gather wisdom and experience. But the Time Lord never really had to think about death; he could simply regenerate into one body after another, until he came to the last one.

Ianto pushed that thought firmly away from him. The Doctor wasn't going to regenerate; they were both fairly sure that somehow, the Rift had not only given him immortality, but that it had "frozen" his lover's ability to regenerate -- which wasn't a bad thing.

He would still change inwardly, which was good if he'd undergone some kind of internal damage. But as far as they knew, he would still remain in the body that he had now -- and Ianto didn't mind that at all. After all, it was the most beautiful body he'd ever seen.

He wasn't going to think about that, Ianto told himself firmly, turning away from the mirror and heading out of the bedroom. He was going to find the Doctor and they were going to have breakfast -- and, hopefully, they weren't going to celebrate his birthday.

It wasn't a day that he wanted to publicize; he didn't even want his lover to acknowledge it. What did birthdays matter now, when he would be having an infinite number of them? Acknowledge this day as being something special would only serve to make him feel ancient.

Ianto's steps slowed as he neared the kitchen; he took a deep breath as he peered around the doorway. He was sure that the Doctor would be there, waiting for him and wondering why he'd stayed in bed so late. But to his surprise, the Time Lord was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe he was in the control room, Ianto thought, his spirits rising and his steps quickening as he headed for the room that he thought of as the heart of the Tardis. He had a special affinity for that room; it was the place where he and the Doctor had shared their very first kiss.

But when he reached the control room, the Doctor wasn't there, either. Ianto's brow furrowed in thought; where else would the Time Lord be? Of course, he could be anywhere on the ship; there were literally thousands of rooms in the Tardis, and he didn't want to search them all.

Maybe the best thing to do would be to simply choose a room where the Doctor would think of looking for him, and wait there until his lover reappeared. He might be doing some sort of repair work on the Tardis, and it was taking longer than he'd anticipated.

There was really nothing for it but to go to the Tardis' library -- that was one place where the Doctor always knew to look for him if he couldn't be found anywhere else. It was, for Ianto, the most relaxing room on the ship, the place where he always went when he wanted to think.

Not that he really had anything to think about today, he told himself as he made his way along the corridor that led to the library. He didn't want to think about being another year older. He didn't need to; after all, one more birthday didn't matter now, did it?

He might grow older, but it would take a long time for him to look as though he'd aged. Jack never seemed to age; he claimed to look exactly the same as he had when he'd first become immortal. Ianto was sure that he wouldn't age any more quickly than Jack had.

Which was a good thing, he told himself with an inward smile, because the Doctor wouldn't age, either. They didn't know just what the aftereffects of being caught in the Rift in the way that they had been were, but so far, they seemed to be more beneficial than harmful.

Ianto sighed as he turned the corner to head towards the door of the library, feeling a little piqued that, today of all days, the Doctor was nowhere to be found. Even though he didn't particularly want to celebrate his birthday, he'd expected his lover to wish him a happy one.

When he entered the doorway of the library, Ianto's dark eyes widened in surprise, a gasp coming from his throat. This certainly wasn't what he'd expected to find -- and what he saw in front of him took his breath away. No wonder he hadn't been able to find the Doctor.

There was a fire burning brightly in the fireplace, and a table set in front of it. The table was set with crystal wineglasses and china plates, with a lovely floral centerpiece in the middle of the table -- and a birthday cake sitting in front of one of the plates.

Ianto took one step forward into the room, and then another, before he saw the Doctor, who was standing next to the couch and smiling at him -- the wide, beautiful smile that Ianto loved to see. He looked very pleased with himself, obviously proud that he'd managed to surprise his lover.

"Happy birthday, Ianto!" he cried, throwing his arms wide. "And many, many more!" Clearing his throat, the Time Lord proceeded to sing -- in a loud, off-key baritone. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!"

Ianto had to laugh at the sound of the Doctor's voice, the exuberance of his singing -- and the obvious planning that had gone into this surprise. He couldn't be annoyed with the Doctor; the Time Lord had obviously put a great deal of thought and love into this surprise.

Of all the things that he could have wished for, this wasn't something that he'd expected or even thought he'd wanted -- but it was so like the Doctor to have arranged a little birthday celebration. And Ianto had to admit that he was gratified to have his lover remember the day.

The Doctor's off-key singing made him laugh even harder as he sank down onto the couch, looking around him at the candlelit room. "If you meant to surprise me, then you did a good job of it, Doctor," he said softly, his love for the Time Lord coming through in the tone of his voice.

"Yes, I meant to surprise you," the Doctor answered, sitting down beside Ianto and reaching for his hands. "I wanted to show you that birthdays are something to be celebrated, not ignored. You're not another year older, love. You're wiser, more experienced, and better than ever."

Ianto couldn't hold back a smile at those words; of course, it was easy for someone who wouldn't age, and who could regenerate into a new body once his current one had worn out, to think that way. But maybe the Doctor had a point, he told himself.

He didn't have to think of himself as getting older. He could merely see it as gaining experience, becoming a more knowledgeable person, and enjoying his life. It seemed that his life was going to last for much longer than he'd ever dreamed it could -- and he wanted to revel in every minute.

"So, what do I get for my birthday present?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and studying his lover. "It's customary to give the birthday person gifts, you know. I can't wait to see what it is -- I'll even close my eyes so you can surprise me with that, if you want."

He didn't know just what his birthday wish would be, but he knew that it would involve the Doctor. And that it would also involve them being naked, entwined together, expressing their love for each other with their bodies, as well as with their hearts and souls.

The Doctor laughed softly, squeezing Ianto's hands. "Oh, I've got something planned for your birthday, love. Did you think I wouldn't? You'll find out what that is later. But I suppose I can tell you that since it's such a special day for you, then you have carte blanche with me."

"Oh?" Ianto raised a brow; this was starting to get very interesting. "Does that mean that I can do anything I want to you, because it's my birthday?" Oh, he could come up with a lot of ideas for that birthday present -- and he wanted to implement them all.

"Of course it does," the Doctor told him, giving him a rakish grin. "When we get to where we're going, you can do whatever you want to me. And maybe," he continued, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief, "I might even let you extend that privilege into our time here on the Tardis."

"Now that sounds like an incredible birthday present," Ianto told him, his own smile widening. Without hesitation, he began to sing "Happy Birthday" just as the Doctor had, in an even more off-key voice. "Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!"

"I hope this is going to be one of the happiest birthdays you've ever had," the Time Lord told him, his voice suddenly soft and husky. "And I hope that I'll be able to make every one after this just as special. My birthday wish for you is that every one of them will be wonderful, Ianto."

"They will be, as long as I'm with you," Ianto murmured, freeing his hands from the Doctor's and sliding his arms around the Time Lord's waist to pull him close. "I'm looking forward to spending many more birthdays with you, love. Until the end of time itself."

As their lips met, Ianto couldn't help feeling that this was the best birthday he'd ever had -- and it hadn't even started yet. He wondered just what the Doctor had in store for him, not only for today, but for the many years -- maybe even centuries -- that were yet to come.

***