Title: The Time Alone With You
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 19, 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.

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Ianto looked over at the Doctor, sitting curled up with a book in the large overstuffed easy chair by the fireplace. He couldn't keep a small, contented smile from spreading over his face; he liked seeing the Time Lord relaxed like this. It was a state that he hadn't often had occasion to see the other man in, not since he'd been rescued from the Master's clutches.

His smile turned into a frown at the thought. He didn't like to think about that time; his relationship with the Time Lord had been so strained that he'd thought they were going to be broken apart. At one point, he'd thought they had been severed from each other, but thankfully, that hadn't happened.

And he wouldn't let it happen, Ianto thought fiercely, his hand going to the crystal pendant at his throat, fingers closing around it. This was the tangible evidence of his emotional bond with the Doctor; this was what had led him to the Time Lord when he'd been in danger, and he'd always be grateful that he'd had it when he needed it most.

Still, even though they'd finally resumed their intimacy, and he felt that he knew the Doctor better than ever, there were still times when he could sense a tension in the Time Lord, as if the other man was a coiled spring. Fortunately, this wasn't one of those times -- but he couldn't help wondering when that tension would raise its head again.

Not now, hopefully. He wanted to keep the Doctor in this relaxed mode for as long as he could; the Time Lord had been through far too much recently, and Ianto wanted him to be able to put those experiences behind him.

He couldn't keep his gaze from wandering over the Time Lord, taking in the other man's relaxed posture, the way that he was poring over the book opened in his lap. This was a rare opportunity, to be able to study the man he loved when the Doctor was unaware of his scrutiny.

As though he could feel Ianto's gaze centered on him, the Doctor looked up from the book he was reading, a smile on his lips. He put the book aside after a moment and held out his hand to the young man sitting on the couch, tilting his head to the side and regarding Ianto with a quizzical expression.

"Is something bothering you, love?" he asked softly, standing up and stretching his lean body before going over to the couch and sitting down beside Ianto. "Your expression is somewhere between a frown and a smile -- and I can't decide which way it's going. I'm not sure if I'm the one causing you to look like that or not."

Ianto shook his head, raising a hand to stroke the Doctor's hair back from his face. "You're not causing me to look that way, sweetheart," he said softly. "I was only hoping that we could manage to stay this calm for a while, that's all."

The Doctor sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know that we can, Ianto, but I hope so. It seems that trouble follows me everywhere -- whether I'm out there amongst the stars in the Tardis, or here on Earth. I don't think I can avoid it, as much as I'd like to."

"I know that, but ...." Ianto frowned again, chewing at his lower lip. "Trouble shouldn't be following you here, love. If it is, then that means that -- that someone is looking for you." He looked down at his hands, wishing that he could take the words back as soon as he'd uttered them. That had been a bad choice of things to let slip out.

The last thing that he'd wanted to do was to remind the Doctor that the Master could very well be searching for him, determined to finish what had been started. After all, they'd snatched the Doctor away from him when he hadn't expected it. And knowing that psychotic monster, he would blame the Time Lord for it, rather than the men who had rescued him.

The Doctor sighed, closing his eyes and curling up on the couch beside Ianto, tucking his long legs under him and wrapping his arms around himself. "I'm aware of that, Ianto," he whispered, his voice starting to tremble slightly. "The idea that he's still looking for me is always in the back of my mind. And I have no one to blame for his fixation but myself."

"No, that isn't true," Ianto said firmly, reaching for the Doctor and winding his arms around the slender man sitting beside him. He turned slightly to the side, pulling the Doctor into his lap and tightening his arm around the Time Lord's waist. "He's been fixated on you for centuries. It's not your fault, and you haven't encouraged it."

"But I went to him, Ianto." The Doctor sighed again, resting his forehead against his young lover's shoulder and closing his eyes. "Not that I think he would have ever just left me alone -- but going to him the way that I did definitely exacerbated his interest."

Ianto was silent; he couldn't deny the truth of the Time Lord's words, though he wanted to. He didn't want the Doctor to feel guilty about what he'd done, though; Ianto still felt that their argument had been his fault, and that he'd driven the Time Lord to take such drastic measures.

"You made a mistake, love," he finally said, his voice soft and gentle. "You're entitled to that, you know. No one is perfect -- and at the time, you did what you felt you had to do. No one can blame you for that -- I certainly don't, and I don't want you to blame yourself, either. It's in the past, over and done with."

The Doctor nodded, his thin arms slipping around Ianto's waist. "You're right, I know," he murmured, not raising his head from the young man's shoulder. "I just .... can't help feeling that I've brought all of this on myself. I should have known enough to keep away from him."

"Let's not think about that," Ianto soothed him, stroking the Time Lord's hair and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "We've gotten past it, and we're still intact. Let's concentrate on our future, rather than on what's happened in the past."

"That's a very good idea," the Doctor murmured, snuggling closer against Ianto. The young man couldn't help but smile; he could literally feel the other man relaxing into his arms, letting whatever cares and troubles he had fall away from him. This was more like it.

"We've needed this time alone for a while," he said softly, resting his cheek against the softness of the Doctor's hair. "It might seem like we're alone most of the time -- but there are always those thoughts crowding in and taking us away from each other."

"I treasure whatever time I have alone with you," the Doctor said, his head resting against Ianto's chest. "Do you know, I've never had this with anyone else. This sense of .... completeness, as though I'm exactly where I belong. I don't want to lose it."

"You won't, love. I can guarantee you that," Ianto told him, hoping fervently that his words were true. The Time Lord had suffered so much in his many lives; he'd been let down by far too many people. The last thing that Ianto wanted to do was to make promises he couldn't keep, promises that would only crumble to dust and leave the Doctor feeling betrayed.

He couldn't keep his own worries away, though; they kept nagging at the back of his mind, not quite making themselves known, but always there, nipping at the edges of his thoughts. More than anything else, he couldn't keep his worries about the Master at bay -- he was sure that the other Time Lord was searching for the Doctor, at this very moment.

Maybe that was why they'd both been so restless lately, Ianto told himself, barely managing to hold back a sigh. They must both be able to sense when there was trouble near -- or at least, the kind of trouble that went along with the Master. He wouldn't be surprised if they were both attuned to him, almost expecting him to burst into their lives at any time.

Those thoughts had no place in his life at the moment, Ianto admonished himself, absently raising his hand to stroke through the Doctor's tawny hair again. Yes, it was something he had to be on his guard about -- but he didn't want those dark, bleak thoughts to intrude into the time that he had alone with the man he loved.

The Doctor raised his head from Ianto's shoulder, his dark eyes meeting the other man's. Ianto could read trepidation in those dark depths, something that he didn't want to see. But it seemed that he couldn't hide his feelings from the Doctor, no matter how hard he might try. Their bond had become too strong for that.

"I know you're worried, Ianto," the Time Lord whispered, his eyes not leaving his lover's face. "I am, too. But you're right about one thing -- we can't let him steal into the time we have alone with each other. If he does that, then he'll be controlling us without even trying. I won't let that happen."

"Neither will I," Ianto told him, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against the Doctor's. "I just .... can't help remembering the times that he's ...." He didn't want to continue; he knew that the Doctor remembered everything that he did. And probably in much greater detail.

"Shhhh, love, don't think about it. Try to put it out of your mind. I know it's hard to do, but we can't let him hover over our thoughts all the time." The Doctor's voice sounded stronger now, no longer so tremulous and uncertain. "We have to present a strong, united front against him. The moment he thinks that there's a weak spot in our defenses, he'll try to get through."

Ianto didn't point out that the Master had already found several weak spots; it wasn't the time or the place to undermine the Doctor's confidence. The Time Lord didn't need the person who should be closest to him tearing down his defenses, or making him feel inadequate.

But still, Ianto thought with a slight shiver, what would happen when the two of them had to confront the Master again? It would happen sooner or later -- that was inevitable. He wasn't going to just disappear into the background of their lives, never to be seen again.

No, he was too crafty for that. He would more than likely spring out at them when they were least expecting it, when they had lulled themselves into a false sense of security. It was one of the things he was best at, Ianto told himself, attacking out of the blue. But the next time they came into contact with him, they would be prepared. They had to be.

For now, he was going to push those thoughts out of his mind. Maybe they weren't completely safe here, but it was a stopgap, a chance for them to catch their breath and try to relax. A chance to heal, and to let themselves luxuriate in each other. They would need that closeness when they were out amongst the stars again, facing whatever might come their way.

Ianto smiled at the Doctor, pushing his fears firmly away. This was their time, and he wasn't going to let the Master interfere in that. He moved his hands up the Doctor's back, pressing the other man against him, feeling those dual heartbeats thud against his chest.

"You're right, sweetheart," he said softly, brushing a soft kiss across the Doctor's lips. "We shouldn't be thinking about him -- only about us. I'll try my best to remember that." He gathered the Time Lord more firmly against him, excitement coursing through his veins when the other man snuggled closer against him.

"Judging from what I'm feeling, I'd say that you're doing quite a good job of remembering," the Doctor said, wriggling experimentally in Ianto's lap. He tilted his head to the side, giving the young Welshman a cheeky grin.

"I wondered if you were going to notice that," he laughed, catching his breath when the Doctor draped both arms around his shoulders and leaned forward, the Time Lord's mouth fastening on his in a kiss that took his breath away.

"How could I not notice? It's all I've been able to think about for the last few minutes," the Doctor murmured, wriggling again in a way that made Ianto's muscles tighten and his throat constrict. It was all he could do not to moan aloud.

"Then I believe that I should give you something more to, er, think about," Ianto said, tightening his arms around the Doctor and rising to his feet. With the other man in his arms, he made his way towards their bedroom, shutting out all the disturbing thoughts that had been crowding into his mind. This was indeed their time -- and he intended to put that time to very good use.

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