Title: A Perfect Gift
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4, 50episodes
Prompt: 1, Birthday
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 looked up as the Doctor entered the control room of the Tardis, smiling and holding out a hand to his young lover. The Doctor had a mischievous look about him, as though he were holding in some secret that he couldn't wait to make known.

He was almost jumping from one foot to another, a sure sign that he had something he wanted to impart to Ianto right away. The young man straightened up from where he'd been studying the console, raising one eyebrow in a quizzical look.

"What is it, Doctor?" he asked, unable to keep himself from laughing at the expression on the Doctor's face. The Time Lord looked like a child who had a secret to tell and was nearly bursting with excitement and the need to let it out.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out!" the Doctor told him, moving across the room and seizing Ianto's hand. "Did you really think that I was going to forget it was your birthday today, Ianto? Shame on you for not saying anything!"

The young man blushed, looking down at the floor. As a general rule, he didn't like birthdays; he'd never made much of them, even when he was a child. And now, he liked them even less. They only reminded him that he was growing older much too quickly.

"I've never really thought much of having birthdays," he said in a low voice, feeling embarrassed. It really was a bit selfish of him not to have reminded the Doctor about his birthday; he should have known that his lover would want to do something special for him.

Ianto immediately felt guilty when he looked up and saw the expression on the Doctor's face; the Time Lord looked deflated, as though all the animation had died out of him. He slipped one arm around the Doctor's waist, pulling the tall, thin man close against his body.

"But for you, I don't mind having a birthday," he said softly, brushing his lips across his lover's cheek. "So I'm going to be a little childish and ask you something." He paused, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "What did you get me?"

The Doctor was smiling again; there were times when his moods could change like quicksilver. The mischievous look was back; he glanced towards the corridor, then back at Ianto, his smile growing as he leaned forward to kiss his lover.

"You'll find out in just a few minutes," he said, his voice soft. Clearing his throat, he reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out what looked like a black silk scarf and holding it up. "Would you mind being blindfolded, love? I want this to be a surprise."

Ianto hesitated for just a moment; he'd never liked the sensation of being robbed of his sight, but there was nothing to be nervous about here. He was with the man he loved, safe on the Tardis. Nothing would happen to him, not here.

Unless, of course, he were to stumble over his own feet in the darkness and take a dive to the floor. But that wasn't going to happen either, he told himself sternly. The Doctor would have an arm around him; his lover would never let him fall.

"All right," he said, pushing back his apprehension. The Doctor moved behind him, placing the black silk over his eyes and tying it in a knot at the back of his head before sliding an arm around his waist and guiding him forward.

"It's not far from the bedroom," the Doctor murmured, sounding nervous. Ianto was almost amused at the tremor in the Time Lord's voice; why in the world would the Doctor be nervous about this? Did he think that his gift wouldn't be something Ianto would appreciate?

He wanted to assure his lover that whatever the surprise was, he was sure that it was something he'd love -- but the Time Lord was already stopping, clearing his throat and moving behind Ianto to lift his hands to the blindfold.

"I didn't know what to get you, so I thought that this would mark the day as something special," he said softly, his nimble fingers loosening the black silk. Ianto could hear the uncertainty in the other man's voice as he stood there, not opening his eyes for a few moments.

When he did, his eyes widened, and he couldn't hold back a gasp. He was sure that he'd seen this particular room on the Tardis before, but if he had, it was so changed that he couldn't recognize it as being any place that he'd ever been.

He was standing in the doorway of a room that looked as though it had been transported here out of an earlier century; the white marble parquet floor gleamed, and the rich red velvet of the curtains seemed to glow in the soft candlelight cast by several candelabra.

The paneled walls seemed to glow as well; the wood had an almost golden tone, or was that cast by the glow of the candles? Ianto stepped into the room, looking around him; it was the loveliest place he could ever remember seeing.

He thought he might have seen this room somewhere in a film -- or maybe in his dreams. It was a place that he could feel comfortable in, despite the fact that it looked so elegant. It had obviously been put together with his preferences in mind.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the four-poster bed in the corner, his gaze moving over the rich red velvet hangings that matched the curtains. It was a bed made for lovers to hide away in for hours, a place for two people to come together in ecstasy.

Turning to the Doctor, Ianto realized that the other man was holding his breath, apparently waiting to hear what Ianto had to say about his gift. He was struck speechless; he didn't think that he had words to describe what this meant to him.

The Doctor had obviously gone to a great deal of trouble to put this room together for them; it was a romantic getaway right here in their home. No one else would have thought to do something so loving for him on his birthday.

Ianto found his voice, his words coming out in a rush. "This is the loveliest thing anyone has ever done for my birthday," he whispered, feeling a lump forming in his throat. Surely he wasn't going to burst into tears now! This definitely wasn't the time.

"You like it, then?" the Time Lord asked anxiously, the tone of his voice conveying his nervousness. He sounded hesitant and a little frightened, as if he had thought that this was something Ianto might not have wanted, or even have enjoyed.

"I love it," Ianto told him, wrapping his arms around the Doctor's waist and pulling his lover close in a hug that he could feel throughout his own body. Releasing the Time Lord, he raised his hands to the other man's face, locking his gaze with the other man's.

Smiling, the Doctor drew back slightly, taking Ianto's hand and leading him to a table set for two in the far corner of the room. "I took the liberty of having your favorite meal made," he said softly, pulling out Ianto's chair for him and indicating that the young man should sit down.

Ianto felt the lump rising in his throat again; the Doctor had thought of everything, right down to the bouquets of orchids that were placed around the room. His favorite meal, his favorite flower -- and the Time Lord knew that he liked candlelight.

This was the perfect birthday gift. He couldn't ask for anything more -- well, except for having the Doctor naked in that beautiful bed. But he could wait for that -- after all, it was obvious to him that would be the culmination of this fairy-tale evening.

He reached across the table to take the Doctor's hand as the Time Lord seated himself, looking into his lover's eyes and smiling. "This is the most beautiful gift anyone has ever gven me, sweetheart," he said, his voice soft and husky. "You couldn't have given me anything I'd love more."

"This is only the beginning of the evening," the Doctor told him, indicating the bed in the corner with a nod, his dark eyes sparkling. "Just imagine what's to come, love. I think you'll remember this birthday for a very long time to come."

"Oh, I don't have any doubt of that whatsoever," Ianto said with a laugh, uncovering one of the dishes on the table and helping himself to the shrimp he found there. "I think this night will stay in my memory for years to come. And you'll be right at the center of it."

His breath caught in his throat as his eyes met the Doctor's across the table. Would it be deemed ungrateful to leave the food for later and speed the evening forward slightly? Ianto hesitated for just a second -- until the Doctor started to get to his feet.

As one, the two men rose and moved toward the bed, needing no words to convey their mutual desire to each other. Ah, yes, this was a perfect birthday gift indeed, Ianto thought as he fell onto the red velvet coverlet with the Doctor clasped in his arms. The best gift he could possibly receive.

***