Title: Forever Means
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Table: 50ficlets
Prompt: 29, Forever
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.

***

No companion could stay with him forever. He should have known that from the beginning, when he gave his hearts away to the man who was lying beside him now.

The Doctor sighed, turning over and snuggling closer to Ianto. The other man was asleep, lying on his back, one arm flung out to his side and the other around the Doctor's waist. Even in his sleep, he was still holding on to the Time Lord.

Ianto had said over and over that this was forever, that the two of them were soul mates, that they were meant for each other and they belonged together. The young man truly believed that; the Doctor could see it in his eyes every time they looked at each other.

And the truth was, he believed it too. Ianto was destined to be with him. This was the love that he'd waited for his entire life, the love that he'd begun to despair of ever being able to find. This was forever -- the kind of forever he'd never thought anyone could give him.

But "forever" a human was a hell of a lot shorter than it was for him. And as much as he tried to avoid the thought, he knew that eventually there would come a time when Ianto wouldn't be by his side -- and he'd be alone again.

The Doctor shivered, moving closer to his lover and sliding his arms around Ianto's waist. He didn't want to think about that. He'd been alone too long; he wanted to enjoy the time he had with his young lover, rather than think about the time when he wouldn't be there.

As if the Time Lord's restless tossing and turning had awakened him, Ianto's eyes opened; his blue-grey gaze took in the Doctor's slightly flushed face, his tousled hair, and a look of concern came over his features as he sat up and reached for the other man.

"Is something wrong, love?" he asked, his soft Welsh accent rolling the words off his tongue. "You seem awfully restless tonight."

The Doctor wanted to shake his head in negation, but he couldn't lie to Ianto. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, nodding reluctantly. "I was just thinking that even though we've both said we'll be together forever, that it can't happen. I know what the inevitability is."

Ianto echoed his sigh, pulling him close and resting his cheek against the softness of the Time Lord's tawny hair. "Forever means different things to most people," he whispered, his voice husky. "But I do believe for you and I, it has a much longer shelf life."

"How can it, Ianto?" The Doctor's voice was soft and sad, as though he'd already accepted that they would eventually lose each other -- and was already starting to loosen his grip and let go. "I've always known that you couldn't be with me for the rest of my life."

"Maybe I can't be there by your side for always," Ianto told him, stroking his hair with one hand while the other arm tightened protectively around his waist. "But I'll always be in your hearts, and in your soul. I'll always be a part of you, love. And I'll always be with you."

The Doctor smiled ruefully at Ianto's words; they were lovely, and he knew that they came from the heart. Ianto truly meant what he said, in a way that no one else ever could. But that wasn't what the Doctor wanted.

He wanted Ianto to stay with him, wanted his lover's physical presence in his life forever. He wanted Ianto to be there with him for everything, even the next regeneration, if and when it happened before his ultimate death.

But that wasn't possible. That was part of what it was to be a Time Lord; he would have to watch the rest of the world go by, see people he loved live and die -- and know that he couldn't spend the rest of his life with one person he loved always by his side.

"Forever means the same to you and me," he whispered, swallowing back the lump that had formed in his throat. "But fate isn't going to let us spend it together."

Ianto brushed his lips across the Doctor's hair, tilting the Time Lord's face up to his and gazing into his eyes. "Maybe not physically, Doctor. But I'll always belong to you. No matter what happens, you have to know that I'll always be with you."

The Doctor could only nod, blinking back the tears that threatened to fill his eyes. Of course he knew that. A love like the one he and Ianto shared didn't just fade away. It would always be there, though any lifetime he had in this world -- and beyond.

They might not have forever in this realm, in these bodies. But his soul would always belong to Ianto -- and their souls were entwined through eternity. He loved this man too much to believe otherwise, no matter how long their forever might or might not be.

He closed his eyes, lifting his face to Ianto's and waiting for their lips to meet. When they did, there was a gentle benediction in the kiss, a promise that they would make their forever last as long as they possibly could.

***