Title: Icing Sugar
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Jethro Cane
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 100_tales
Prompt: 24, Silver
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Jethro Cane. Please do not sue.

***

Jethro sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and looking around the small room. The Doctor wasn't in bed beside him, which was unusual; he had no idea where the Time Lord could be, but he wasn't going to panic until he had looked around their hotel suite.

After all, the Doctor did have a habit of getting out of bed at times when he couldn't sleep and didn't want to wake him, Jethro told himself, throwing the covers back and swinging his long legs out of bed. He stood up, debating whether to get dressed and deciding not to.

What was the point in that? he asked himself with an inward smile. He was fairly sure that the Doctor wasn't going to be clothed if the Time Lord was still here and hadn't gone out exploring, and if not, then there was no reason for him to put on his clothes, either.

He couldn't hear any evidence of his lover being in the suite, and there were no lights on; everything pointed to the conclusion that the Doctor had felt restless and had left for a while go out on his own. But that wasn't like the Time Lord, Jethro thought with a frown.

If the Doctor had wanted to go out so badly, he would have either woken Jethro, or he would have waited until the morning. He wouldn't have simply gone out by himself, leaving no note, no indication of where he had gone, or why. And Jethro knew that he hadn't been abandoned.

After what had happened on the last unfamiliar planet they'd been to, when they had unexpectedly run into the Master, the Doctor had seemed to be more cautious than ever about the two of them being away from each other. So he wouldn't have gone exploring on his own.

When Jethro entered the large sitting room of their hotel suite, he stood there for a moment, blinking, his eyes getting used to the brightness after being in the darkened bedroom. Silver moonlight flooded into the room, making it seem as bright as day.

The Doctor was standing in front of the sliding glass doors that led out onto the balcony; Jethro wasn't in the least surprised to see that the Time Lord hadn't bothered to put on a stitch of clothing. His head was resting against the glass, his eyes closed as if he was deep in thought.

Jethro had no idea what could be on his lover's mind, but he wanted to know. He didn't want to disturb the Doctor if the other man was trying to concentrate on some particularly knotty problem, but on the other hand, it was probably rude to just stand here and stare.

Moving further into the room, he approached the Doctor, clearing his throat softly as he did so. The Time Lord opened his eyes and turned around, a smile curving his lips as he held out a hand to his young lover. Jethro took his hand, sliding one arms around the other man's slim waist.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Somehow, it seemed so quiet and peaceful that he didn't want to break the silence that had reigned before he spoke. "Just admiring the view, or is there something on your mind?"

"I was thinking how deceptively beautiful this planet is," the Doctor told him, his own voice hushed and quiet, though he spoke above a whisper. "It's so lovely on the surface, but you never know what could lie beneath. I learned that lesson long ago."

Jethro nodded, waiting for the Doctor to go on, wondering what was on his mind to put his mind on this train of thought. When the Time Lord said nothing else, he ventured his own comment. "But sometimes there isn't anything beneath the surface, and it's all just as it seems."

"Yes, that's so," the Doctor agreed, nodding. "But it's not the usual case. I can't help but wonder what all that silvery beauty out there just beyond this window might be hiding, what kind of ugliness lives under the facade." He waved a hand at the snow-covered vista beyond the doors.

Jethro's gaze followed the direction that the Doctor had waved in; he took in the cold beauty of the icing sugar landscape, covered with snow, looking like a village out of a Christmas card. The moon shone down on the pristine snow, turning it into glistening silver.

But the Doctor could be right. There could be deadly secrets hidden under that covering of beauty; that icing sugar picture could be sour once the candy coating was removed. It looked lovely at the moment, but who could know what lurked beneath the pretty view?

The world that the two of them inhabited wasn't candy-coated, and he didn't expect it to be. But for once, he wanted to be able to enjoy the beauty of a place, a sight that was presented to his gaze, without having to think that it hid something dark and dangerous.

"Maybe it's just what it looks like, Doctor," he murmured, hoping that the Time Lord didn't think he was looking for an argument. "Not everything has a dark underbelly. There are things in the world that are just meant to be appreciated, things that don't hide any secrets."

"You're right about that," the Doctor admitted, a slight smile on his lips as he turned his head to look at his boyfriend. "And I don't really have any sense of danger here. But it's always good to be cautious, Jethro. I've long since learned the folly of taking everything at face value."

Jethro looked out at the scene before them again, wondering if there was indeed some menace hidden under the tranquil surface. He didn't think so, but he wasn't going to simply brush aside the Doctor's words, either. The Time Lord knew what he was talking about.

It was beautiful outside; snow had been falling when they had landed the Tardis not far from this hotel, and the two of them had walked through the streets hand in hand, enjoying the crisp, cold air and the feeling of tranquility that had surrounded them.

Was that feeling going to be interrupted? Jethro thought with a frown. Was that beauty merely a mask that hid something dark and dangerous, something that could leap out at them when it was least expected and try to rip the two of them to shreds?

He didn't think so, but maybe the Doctor was right. Maybe beauty like this could hide danger. He didn't want to believe such things of the scene in front of their eyes, but given that the Doctor had so many enemies across the galaxy, it was safer to tread cautiously.

"I don't want to look at the world as though everything in it is dangerous," the Doctor murmured, his voice very soft as he stared out at the snow-covered city. "But I don't want to be careless, either. I have you to protect now, Jethro. And I've vowed not to let any harm come to you."

"I can take care of myself," Jethro protested, his arm tightening around the Doctor's waist. "And one of the reasons I'm here with you is to protect you. To watch your back. I might not always do the best job of that, but I try my best, Doctor."

"I know you do, love," the Time Lord said softly, turning his head to look at his young lover. "And I can't put into words how much I appreciate having you here with me, Jethro. But there are times when neither of us can trust what we see with our eyes."

"That's true," Jethro was forced to admit. "But I think we can trust what we're looking at now, Doctor. At least, I'd like to believe we can. For right now, we're safe here, inside this hotel. We can just look out at a silver wonderland and appreciate the beauty of it."

The Doctor nodded in agreement, turning his gaze back to the sight outside the glass. The snow was still falling, covering everything around them in a blanket of white, the moonlight shining down upon it with a silvery hue. The still quietude of the place was hushed, almost eerie.

"Let's go back to bed," Jethro said softly, his breath soft and warm against the Doctor's skin. "This is a really beautiful sight, but there's only so long I can stand here and look at it. I'd rather be looking at you. Preferably while I"m making love to you."

With a nod and a soft laugh, the Doctor turned away from the glass doors, following Jethro back into their bedroom and leaving the silver-limned wonderland of icing sugar snow behind them. But neither man resist glancing back, each of them wondering just what this snow-covered world might hold for them.

***

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