Title: Cheek To Cheek
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 25fluffyfics
Prompt: 8: Dinner
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.

***

"I should take you out to dinner," Ianto told the Doctor as they strolled along one of Cardiff's busy streets. "We're here so rarely now, and I know all of the good restaurants in the city. It could be fun to dress up and go out to a nice place."

"Dress up?" The Doctor looked over at his young lover, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Do you mean in tuxedos? I don't have any objection to that. Ever since I got this body, I've thought that I look rather smashing in a dinner jacket."

"Oh, you do, sweetheart," Ianto told him, moving closer and sliding an arm around the Doctor's slender waist. "So much so that I don't know if I want to go that route, after all. There could be too many people ogling you if we do that."

"Ianto! You're not jealous, are you?" the Doctor asked, a teasing note in his voice. "You should know by now that no matter how many people look at me, I don't care about any of them. I only have eyes for you, love. I think that's quite obvious."

"It is!" Ianto told him, laughing and shaking his head. "But I can't help being a bit jealous, you know. I'm with a gorgeous man, and of course I don't like having other people looking at him as thought they're trying to undress him with their eyes."

"Really? Do people look at me that way?" the Doctor asked, sounding genuinely surprised. He stopped in his tracks, looking at his reflection in a shop window. "I'm not bad-looking, that's obvious, but I would have thought that I only appealed to a certain type of person."

Ianto shook his head again, pulling the Time Lord close against his own body. "No, that's not true. You appeal to anyone who has eyes to see," he said softly, brushing his lips over the other man's cheek. "I can't imagine anyone not wanting you."

"Why do you think that is?" the Doctor mused, turning away from the window and continuing down the street. "I think I'm quite attractive in this body, and obviously you do too, but I wouldn't think that it could draw so much attention from so many different people."

"It's that air of vulnerability you have," Ianto said, wrinkling his brow as he thought. "And the gorgeous smile, and the sense of humor --" He stopped, laughing again. "It's everything, Doctor. It's not just the way you look, it's the personality that goes with the looks."

"And you really think that taking me out to dinner at a nice restaurant will make people look at me and spark your jealousy?" the Doctor inquired, a smile quirking the corners of his lips. "Really, Ianto, I think you're being too paranoid."

"Maybe so," Ianto admitted, looking around them and frowning at a man who seemed to be studying the Doctor far too closely. "But even now, people are looking at you. And I know what those men are thinking, Doctor. It's what I'd be thinking."

"But you don't have to simply think that," the Doctor pointed out, looking around to see who Ianto could possibly be talking about. "You're with me, sweetheart. There's no reason for you to be jealous. You know I'd never look at another man."

"Of course you wouldn't -- but I still don't like other men looking at you!" Ianto laughed, shaking his head. "Never mind about them," he continued, changing the subject. "Where would you like to go for dinner? Is there anything that particularly strikes your fancy?"

The Time Lord started to shake his head, then stopped. "You know -- I love Italian food, and we haven't had that for a while," he said, giving Ianto a hopeful look. "Would you mind going to someplace with good Italian food and --" He stopped abruptly, looking down at the pavement.

"And what?" Ianto asked, his curiosity piqued. He wondered what could possibly be causing that faint, almost imperceptible blush that colored the Doctor's pale cheeks. Why would his lover be embarrassed about wherever he might want to go for dinner?

"It's a silly idea. Never mind," the Doctor murmured, shaking his head, the blush growing deeper. He shoved his hands into his pockets, not looking at Ianto. The young man pulled him closer, a frown settling onto his features.

"Doctor, what is it?" he asked softly, his footsteps slowing. He had no idea why the Doctor would be so obviously reluctant to tell him what he wanted, but he was going to break through that reserve and find out what was making the Time Lord look so embarrassed.

The Doctor glanced at him, then down at the sidewalk again. "It's just ...." He took a deep breath, finally raising his head so that their gazes met. "We haven't been dancing in a long time, other than on the Tardis. I thought .... that might be something romantic for us to do."

Ianto almost wanted to laugh, but he held the sound back. For some reason, the Doctor thought that he would laugh at the suggestion, and he didn't want to hurt the Time Lord's feelings by doing so. Besides, he thought it was a wonderful idea.

"I'd love to take you out to an Italian restaurant with a dance floor," he said softly, his gaze on the other man's face. "Swaying cheek to cheek with soft piano music playing and having dinner by candlelight would be my idea of a beautifully romantic evening."

"And after our romantic evening, we can go back to the Tardis and curl up in bed together," the Doctor said softly, a smile curving his lips. "That is, after you make passionate love to me. Does that sound like a proper ending to the night?"

"It sounds absolutely perfect," Ianto whispered, leaning close to the Doctor so that no one who might happen to pass by them on the street could hear his next words. "And after we make love, we'll spend the night dreaming of each other."

"Good dreams," the Doctor murmured, his dark gaze locking with Ianto's. "No nightmares. None of those dreams that have been disturbing me so much lately." Ianto felt a shudder go through the Time Lord's slim body as he spoke.

"Definitely good dreams," Ianto assured him, wishing that he could keep those frightening dreams away from his lover simply by saying those words, though he knew that wasn't possible. "I'll hold you and protect you from any nightmares, love."

"I wish you could," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head. He turned to Ianto with a smile, his expression brightening. "But let's not think about that now. Let's go get dressed to the nines, and enjoy dinner and a romantic evening."

"That sounds absolutely wonderful to me," Ianto told him, brushing a kiss against the Doctor's mouth. As they resumed their walk back to the Tardis, his mind went over the Italian restaurants he knew in Cardiff. He was determined to make this evening a night for them both to remember.

***