Title: Buckle Up
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1, 50scenes
Prompt: 37, Turbulence
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.

***

The Doctor settled back onto the couch with a sigh, crossing his arms behind his head and looking up at the ceiling of the Tardis. It had been quiet for the last few days, and he hoped that things would stay this way. He and Ianto needed a rest.

Of course, that was something that they weren't likely to get. He knew all too well that the Master would always show up when he was least expected to, with some insidious new plan to either rule or destroy the galaxy, a plan that the Doctor would have to foil.

He always managed to do that, somehow. It had been harder in the past, but now he had a new confidence that he'd never had before. He'd always believed in himself and his abilities, of course, but now there was a new layer to that belief.

Having Ianto by his side made him feel that he could get through anything. He smiled at that thought; he wasn't invincible, but Ianto made him feel that he could be.

The smile flickered across his features before it was replaced by a more sober look. The Master had caused a good deal of turbulence between them; now that the other Time Lord knew that he had someone in his life, it was going to be harder to protect Ianto from him. He was constantly on the lookout, more so than he'd been in the past.

What happened to him didn't really matter. It was more important to him that he keep Ianto safe, that he make sure the Master couldn't get to his young lover and try to use Ianto against him. He'd give his life to prevent that from happening.

Ianto would insist that he didn't need protecting, of course; the way he saw it, his duty was to protect the Doctor from whatever the Master might level at him. But the Time Lord didn't see it that way. Ianto was human -- and therefore more vulnerable.

He heaved a sigh at that thought, reluctantly acknowledging that Ianto had been called upon to come to his rescue on more than one occasion already. Maybe he was wrong about being invincible; he seemed to be depending on his young lover more than he should.

But that dependence didn't extend to backing away from his duty to keep the man he loved as safe as he possibly could.

He'd been that way with all of his companions, since he'd first started inviting them into the Tardis to travel with him. Most of them had been human -- or at least, more vulnerable than he himself was. He'd felt a protectiveness towards them all.

Ianto was different from all of his other companions, though. He wasn't the first one to have been the Doctor's lover -- Jack had that distinction -- but he was the first person that the Time Lord had known was his soul mate, the man he was destined to be with.

Besides, Ianto's vulnerability was very different from Jack's. The immortal didn't really seem to have vulnerabilities -- at least, none that he'd let the Doctor see. If he did, he hid them very well; the Doctor had thought he was part of what made Jack vulnerable to attack, but the other man had proven him wrong about that by walking away from him.

He pushed that thought away from his mind as quickly as it formed. His relationship with Jack was ancient history, over and done with. They hadn't been well-suited for each other in the long run; he'd had to wait a while longer to find his perfect mate.

He'd found that in Ianto. The young man gave him the stability and security that he needed to ground himself -- and he liked to think that he gave Ianto something that he'd never had before, too.

He gave his lover adventure, the chance to go out into the universe and see things he'd never have dreamed of. And he also gave Ianto a steady, undying love -- just as Ianto gave him. That love would never fade, never grow cold, never drift away.

But the Master tried his best to cause turbulence in that happy existence they shared. Ever since he had discovered that Ianto was more than just a companion, he'd found ways to come at the two of them that they hadn't been prepared for.

No matter what the Master did, he and Ianto wouldn't care for each other any less; their emotions wouldn't change. That wasn't was frightened him about the Master's attempts to come between them; that was never going to happen.

What terrified him was the idea that the Master might be able to somehow harm Ianto. The other man wouldn't hesitate to do so; the Doctor had seen people he cared for ruthlessly used by the Master in the past to achieve his ends, and he didn't want to see that happen again. Especially not with the man who meant more to him than anyone ever had.

He had nightmares about that kind of situation; there had been far too many times when he'd awoken in the bed he shared with Ianto, sitting bolt upright, his mouth open in a silent scream that couldn't quite force its way to the surface.

Those were the times when Ianto would hold him, comfort him, assure him that everything was going to be all right and he was worrying himself over nothing.

But he couldn't shake the residue of those horrible nightmares so easily. So far, the Master hadn't come after Ianto -- but maybe he was just waiting, biding his time until he was sure that whatever he might plan couldn't fail.

Those were thoughts he didn't want to let enter his head, but he couldn't keep them back. The Doctor sighed, a frown settling onto his features. The more he thought about this, the more his thoughts would be likely to become nightmares. He had to stop.

If he let his fears get to him, then the Master would have achieved at least part of his objective. He would have driven a kind of wedge between the two of them, making the Doctor jumpy and nervous -- and perhaps impairing his ability to look out for Ianto as he should.

That was the last thing either of them needed; they couldn't let the Master come between them in any kind of way. He had to stop focusing on what could happen, and make sure that it didn't. If he was wary and kept himself alert, then the Master couldn't find a chink in their armor.

At the rate he was going, the Master would ultimately win. He was giving that psychotic monster free rein over his thoughts. That would be the beginning of the end.

The Doctor sat up, making a gesture as though he was pushing his thoughts away. It wouldn't be easy to keep those worries at bay, but he would do it. He'd be able to talk with Ianto about this, bring his fears to light, and his lover would acknowledge them and perhaps tell the Doctor some of his own. Then the two of them would work together to eradicate them for good.

That was how they were going to defeat the Master, before he'd even had a chance to give them any trouble. He couldn't cause any turbulence in their relationship if he wasn't allowed a way to get into their thoughts from the beginning.

They might be in for a bumpy ride, but they would survive it. No matter what the Master might try to throw at them, as long as they were together and standing strong against any attack, they would make it through -- and be stronger in the end.

The Doctor looked towards the door as he heard footsteps approaching; it was obviously Ianto, probably wondering where he was and looking for him. He should have told his love exactly where he was going, to save him time spent wandering around the Tardis.

He would probably have to tell his boyfriend to buckle up and prepare for something of a dangerous ride in the near future, the Doctor thought as he rose to his feet. But Ianto was used to that, after several months of being with him. And he himself certainly was, given the fact that he'd lived his life for the last few centuries doing just that.

The Master was likely planning something at this minute, the Doctor thought wryly, ready to lead them on a merry chase that he was confident he would win.

But they would prove him wrong. He had no doubt that he and Ianto together would manage to defeat the Master, and destroy whatever plan he might have in mind. They might not be used to feeling as much turbulence as he could cause, but they would hold on and hope for the best.

***