Title: Dream On
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: Amnesty in January, 5_prompts
Prompt: 3, from Table 20 -- Slumber on
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 closed his eyes as he snuggled down under the covers, pulling the Doctor more closely against him, wrapping the Time Lord safely in his arms. Even though he was having an easier time sleeping now, he still had a hard time falling asleep.

The Doctor seemed to have no such problems; his sleep had been much deeper and easier lately, and Ianto was thankful for that. After all that they'd been through, the Time Lord certainly deserved to be able to sleep. He'd suffered the worst of the Master's punishment.

His own dreams had been wild, mad, feverish, full of horrors that he would never quite be able to get out of his mind -- when he could consciously remember them. But the Doctor's dreams hadn't been only dreams -- but memories of a torturous past.

Ianto didn't know exactly what the Doctor had dreamed when the Master was getting to them inside their own minds, during that dark time when he could control them through their dreams. But he did know that the other man had been terrified of sleeping.

If the Doctor had been that frightened, then those dreams must have been something out of his worst nightmares -- horrific images that Ianto didn't even want to think about. Thank goodness they were past all of that now, and his lover was able to sleep.

He himself had always been somewhat of an insomniac. His sleep had become more regular once he'd been with the Doctor, though -- holding the Time Lord in his arms, especially after they'd made love, was a wonderful way to fall into pleasant dreams.

How long had it been since their miraculous changes had taken place, and their sleep had actually been restful for both of them? Ianto thought back, realizing that it had only been happening for a few months now. It seemed like a much longer time.

Maybe that was simply because the two of them never had to worry about being parted -- he was now immortal, and the Doctor's regenerations would only happen inwardly, and not rob him of the body that they both loved so much.

They seemed to be safe from the Master, at least for the time being. But Ianto was sure that the renegade Time Lord would have learned of that fact that they had escaped from his traps and turned tables on him in a most unexpected way.

And he would want his revenge. Of that, Ianto was more than certain. He knew the Master well enough from their past dealings with him to know that he would curse them for somehow making his plan backfire -- and for surviving to fight him another day.

It was terrifying to think that he and the Doctor could be caught in the Master's crosshairs -- but that was something he would have to accustom himself to, Ianto told himself wearily. He'd thought that he was used to the idea, but apparently that wasn't really true.

At least the two of them seemed to have some respite, however brief, from the Master's constant games. They hadn't heard anything of the man since that fateful day in the Hub, when Ianto had literally died and been brought back by some force outside of himself.

He frowned as his thoughts drifted back to that day for perhaps the thousandth time since it had taken place. What was it that had brought him back? Some force from outside nature that had decreed it wasn't yet his time to die? Or something else?

He wanted to believe that it was the Doctor's love reaching into another dimension that had brought him back and given him the gift of immortality. He could never be sure if that was what it was, of course, but he'd felt something when he was .... gone.

There had been some force reaching into the cold, black void that he could remember drifting in, when he hadn't known where he was or what was going on around him. It wasn't a light, just some powerful force that had called out to him.

Ianto was absolutely positive that force had been the strength of what he shared with the Doctor. Nothing else could have beckoned him out of that place; nothing else could have been strong enough to pull him back from one realm of being into another.

One of the best things about defeating the Master in the way that they had was having their sleep back, their dreams uninterrupted by horrifying memories from the past, or images that could make them awaken in the night, wide-eyed and screaming.

The Doctor needed that, Ianto told himself, smoothing his hand down the Time Lord's back as he shifted his position slightly. His lover didn't require as much sleep as he did, but after all the time that he'd been deprived of it, he was certainly catching up now.

He liked watching the Doctor sleep. There was something very relaxing and soothing about being able to lie here with the Time Lord in his arms, feeling those dual hearbeats thudding against his chest, in rhythm with his own, and listen to the soft susurrus of the other man's breathing.

Watching the Doctor sleep was fascinating, Ianto thought, his gaze resting on the Time Lord's face. Any lines of care or worry that might have formed were smoothed away; the Doctor looked very young and vulnerable, open to anything that might come his way.

What was his lover dreaming about now? Ianto could only assume that it was something pleasant, given the curve of his lips and the relaxed look on his features. He certainly hoped so; the Doctor's dreams had been disturbed far too much in the recent past.

He wanted the man he loved to not only have pleasant dreams, but a good life. He didn't want the Doctor to keep having to put himself at risk for the universe; but that was something he couldn't prevent. It was not only what the Doctor did -- it was his responsibility.

Putting himself in danger was part of the person he was, and part of why Ianto had fallen so deeply in love with him. He admired the Doctor's courage, and his willingness to do whatever it took to keep the world safe. Never before had he known anyone so completely selfless.

This man deserved all the sweet dreams he could possibly have, Ianto thought, clasping the Doctor more firmly in his embrace. And he was here to make sure that the Time Lord indeed did have that; he was here to keep the man he loved safe from harm.

Why else would he have been made an immortal, if not to stand by the Doctor's side and protect him for all of eternity? That was why he'd met the Time Lord; he was sure of it. This had been ordained all along, for all the long centuries of his lover's existence.

He was here now to watch over the Doctor's sleep -- and that was exactly what he intended to do for the rest of the night. Besides, Ianto thought, he loved watching the Time Lord sleep. He could lie here all night, just watching his lover breathe, knowing that the Doctor was safe in his arms.

Whatever the Doctor was dreaming about, he would guard those dreams with his life. He wanted to make sure that his lover continued to have pleasant dreams, that would cause him no fear and no pain. It was the least he could do for the man who had given him so much.

Ianto smiled as he caressed the Doctor's cheek, feeling the velvety softness of the Time Lord's skin under his fingertips. There would be an eternity of those caresses to come, nights when they would be doing much more in bed than simply dreaming.

He could hardly wait for those nights to arrive. But for now, he was content to lie here with the Doctor in his arms, even while he himself was still wakeful. It felt good to know that this was where he was meant to be, safe and secure with the man he loved.

"Dream on, my love," he whispered softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the Doctor's forehead and closing his eyes. Hopefully, he would fall into the realm of dreams himself -- and with any luck, his own dreams would be as pleasant as the Doctor's apparently were.

***