Title: No Matter What
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 10_prompts
Prompt: 3, Eternity
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 stared down at his hands, unable to keep from smiling as he did so. There was no ring, no sign that he and the Doctor had bonded -- but they had. The words they had spoken to each other were ancient Gallifreyan vows that came from their hearts.

Remembering those words almost brought tears to his eyes. Their bonding ritual had been done a few weeks ago, but he could remember it as clearly as if it had been yesterday. The sound of the Doctor's voice saying those words would always be a clear, sharp memory.

There would be a ring, at some point, Ianto said to himself, a smile spreading over his face. He and the Doctor were as good as married, but he wanted to have some outward sign of that -- and he did want to have a ceremony as well.

He wanted his former teammates at Torchwood to have a wedding, to see him united with the man he loved; the Doctor might not think that was necessary, but he would no doubt tell Ianto that if he wanted that, they would definitely do it.

His lover might not fully understand his need to follow some of those old human traditions, but he would accept the fact that Ianto wanted to. In fact, he would probably be rather pleased with the idea of having a wedding that their friends could actually witness.

Of course, they could have had people present at their bonding, but they had wanted it to be private, a ceremony that they shared between themselves. It hadn't seemed at the time that they'd needed any sort of witnesses to make it special.

It had been beautiful, Ianto thought, casting his mind back to that night, that place. The lush greenery all around them, the moon shining down from a dark purple sky; the words that the Doctor had said as he had gazed into Ianto's eyes, words that had bound them together for all eternity.

And the words that he had said back to the man he loved, words that he had meant from the depths of his heart and soul. Words that even now, he could expand on and make even more meaningful. But at the time, what he'd said had been perfect.

He would be more than willing to say those words again, in front of his friends and family. That thought made Ianto's smile turn to a frown; his family wouldn't want to come to his wedding, unless it happened to be a marriage to a female.

That would never happen. He was bound to the Doctor, not only for this life he lived now, but for all of eternity and beyond. His family would never understand that sort of bond; they would never understand how he could be in love with a man, or accept it.

Well, his sister would. Rhiannon might not completely understand his feelings, but she would accept him nonetheless, and she would welcome the Doctor with open arms. That was the kind of person she was -- loving, giving, accepting. She would never turn them away.

His mother? She would want to accept them; in some ways, she already had, even though she couldn't acknowledge that fact aloud. Being under his father's thumb kept her from showing her true feelings, but he really couldn't blame her for that.

And his father .... Ianto sighed, pushing the thought of the older Jones away into the back of his mind and slamming the door on it. He didn't want to think about his father. That was a closed door, an issue that would never be fully resolved.

When he and the Doctor had their wedding ceremony, his mother would be invited, of course. But Ianto very much doubted that she would be there; his father would forbid her to attend, and she would never have the mental or emotional strength to defy that edict.

He wouldn't hold it against her. She had spent too much of her life bowing to his father's wishes; it wasn't fair of him to expect her to turn against such a tyrant now. Besides, he didn't want to feel responsible if his father took his misplaced anger out on his mother in some way.

No, it was best if she wasn't there. The wedding would be for his friends, for his former teammates at Torchwood, and for himself and his lover. He would invite his sister, but as for the rest of his family -- he would just have to feel that his mother was there in spirit.

Ianto jumped and let out a soft yelp as the Doctor's arms slid around him from behind, the other man's voice quiet and husky in his ear. "What were you thinking of, sweetheart? That scowl on your face would be enough to scare Daleks away."

He could tell from the tone of his lover's voice that the Doctor was joking with those last words, but they were enough to make him rearrange his expression quickly. "I was .... well, thinking about a wedding," he admitted. "And who we would both want to be there."

"Your mother," the Doctor murmured, realizing immediately where Ianto's thoughts had strayed. "I don't think she would be able to come -- but you know that she would wish the best for you. I think she would want you to have all the happiness in the world on your wedding day."

"Yes, she would," Ianto agreed, turning around in the Doctor's embrace to slide his own arms around the Time Lord's waist and pull him close. "And she would be incredibly happy that I'd made the right choice -- not just for now, but for eternity."

"So will everyone who cares about you," the Doctor told him, raising a hand to stroke Ianto's cheek. "I think having a wedding is a lovely idea. That gives us a chance to say our vows in front of witnesses, so that the people closest to us can share our happiness."

Ianto nodded, feeling a bit choked up again. He hadn't thought of it in quite that way, but the Doctor was right. Weddings were meant not only to publicize the happiness of the wedded couple, but also to share that joy with the people they cared for.

"I think everyone already knows how happy I am with you," he said softly, running a hand through the Doctor's hair. "But I like the idea of saying my bonding vows in front of the people I care about. And I like the idea of my closest friends sharing in the joy you bring me."

"And I like the idea of having them see that we're committed to each other for eternity," the Doctor told him, his voice husky with emotion. "On Gallifrey, it was a private sort of thing, only meant to be shared by the two people saying their vows. But I want to share it with our friends."

"I think the people we care about would appreciate that," Ianto said, lifting the Doctor's hand to his lips and kissing his fingertips. "After all, they brought us together, in a way. If I hadn't been working with Torchwood, I might never have met you."

"Oh, you would have met me," the Doctor laughed, shaking his head. "It would just have been a bit more difficult for us to find each other, that's all. You don't believe that soul mates can be kept away from each other, do you? I'd have found you, no matter where I had to look."

"And I would have found you, no matter how long I had to search," Ianto told him, his own voice catching in his throat. "Nothing could have kept me from you, Doctor. I'd have found you and spent eternity with you, no matter what forces might have tried to keep us apart."

The Doctor merely nodded at Ianto's words, not speaking. The young man pulled his lover into his arms, burying his face against the softness of the Doctor's hair and closing his eyes, just as overcome with emotion as the other man was.

After a few moments, the Doctor lifted his head from Ianto's shoulder, clearing his throat. "I think it's time we thought about making our way to Earth and planning our wedding vows, don't you?" he said, his words strong and firm despite the slight sheen of tears still in his eyes.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea to me," Ianto murmured, following the Doctor as the Time Lord made his way over to the console. The thought of the reaction to their wedding announcement brought a smile to his lips -- and a warmth to his heart as he thought of spending eternity by the side of his love.

***