Title: Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 01, Sunset
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Jack Harkness. Please do not sue.

***

The Doctor looked around him, squinting as he raised a hand to shade his eyes. Ianto had insisted that the roof of his apartment building was the proper place to watch a sunset -- but it seemed rather bright to the Time Lord. Surely there was a less .... exposed place?

He signed, leaning back on the blanket that Ianto had brought up from his apartment for them to sit on. His lover had gone back to bring something else up to the roof -- what that something was, the Doctor had no idea. But he hadn't questioned Ianto; he'd only watched as his love had gone down the stairs, waiting patiently for his return.

How many decades of his lives had he spent waiting for .... anything? he thought idly, his gaze roaming over the skyline without really seeing it. It seemed that his entire existence had been a balancing act; he was always waiting for something to happen, or rushing somewhere in time to try to prevent an occurrence.

It was refreshing to be able to sit still and enjoy what was around him. This was an opportunity that he'd never thought he would have, and he intended to enjoy every second of it.

Of course, it couldn't last forever. The Doctor sighed, reluctantly facing that thought head-on instead of pushing it into the back of his mind and slamming a mental door on it. He hated to think about it, but he knew that he had to at some point.

How much more time would he have with Ianto? How many more days, hours, even minutes would he be able to spend in his love's arms, pushing away any of the responsibilities that he should be paying more attention to? This couldn't last much longer; he would have to go back to his existence sooner or later.

Ianto would insist on coming with him, he knew. And he couldn't let that happen. What if something were to happen to Ianto? What if something were to happen to him, and Ianto was stranded in time? What if ....

The Doctor squeezed his eyes closed, fighting down the panic that he could feel rising in him. A mental picture of Ianto lying cold and still in some remote place, himself bent over the body of his love, struck him with the force of a blow.

A strangled sob broke from the Doctor's lips without him realizing that he had made a sound. How could he go on without Ianto in his life? There would be nothing for him then -- nothing but a dreary existence. A shadow of a life that would be no life at all.

No. That wouldn't happen. Whatever he might have to do, he would never sacrifice Ianto.

He sighed, keeping his eyes closed and trying to breathe calmly. There was no reason to worry about something that hadn't come to pass yet. He and Ianto would discuss this; there was no reason that they couldn't have a rational discussion about the realities of their situation.

Could they be rational about this? Ianto was as determined to go with him as he was to keep his love from any kind of danger. It seemed to be an impasse that they would inevitably clash over.

The Doctor frowned, catching his full lower lip between his teeth and chewing at it thoughtfully. Didn't Ianto face some sort of danger any time he went out with the Torchwood team? Of course, but .... that was different, he told himself. He wasn't the one thrusting Ianto into the path of harm in that instance.

He couldn't live with himself if something were to happen to the man he loved. That was what it all boiled down to -- and it was the only reason he could honestly give himself as to why Ianto couldn't go with him.

The Doctor's long, elegant fingers clenched around the fabric of the blanket, his teeth sinking into his lip almost hard enough to break the skin and draw blood. This was why he'd never gotten involved in the past -- at least, not past a casual physical relationship. This was why he'd held himself aloof from caring deeply for anyone.

He couldn't face losing them. He couldn't face being alone.

It was inevitable, he thought, drawing in a breath of air and holding it within his lungs. They were human. They would age, they would die -- and he would be left as he had started. Alone. Bereft.

That is, if he had allowed himself to open his hearts to them, to feel more than a casual affection. He had wanted to -- but he'd kept himself from that. He'd kept himself behind walls. Kept himself safe.

Until Ianto.

Ianto had broken down every wall, burst into his life when he'd least expected -- or wanted -- to surrender himself. He couldn't even say just why Ianto had affected him so strongly -- other than that he'd known from his first sight of the young man that there was some powerful force drawing them together.

Did he regret it? he asked himself, turning the question over and over in his mind. Did he wish that things were different? Would he change any of it?

The Doctor shook his head, letting out the breath he'd been holding. No, of course not. Loving Ianto had been the most incredible experience of any of his lives -- the one thing that he would never change, never alter, no matter what pain it might bring him. This was worth anything that might come after.

And when the inevitable happened -- he would deal with it when the time came.

The door leading from the steps into the building squeaked, and the Doctor looked around to see Ianto emerge from the stairwell, a bottle of wine and two glasses in his hand. He moved towards the blanket, sitting down and handing the Doctor one of the glasses.

The Time Lord watched his lover with a proprietary gaze, taking in every detail of the man he'd given himself to. Ianto moved with the grace of a stalking cat, his lean, lithe body seeming to flow from one action into another. The Doctor couldn't keep himself from staring.

Ianto moved behind the Doctor, his legs on either side of the Time Lord's body, pulling the slender man into his arms. Reaching for one of the glasses of wine he'd poured for them, Ianto handed it to the Doctor, then picked up his own glass, his other arm anchored firmly around the Doctor's waist.

The Doctor leaned back against his lover's body, letting himself relax, pushing his worries away. This wasn't the time or the place for them.

"I wanted to share the beauty of the sunset with you," he said softly, his lips moving to the Doctor's throat and nibbling at the soft skin.

The Doctor sighed, his eyes closing. The future could take care of itself. Right now, he was in Ianto's arms, they were together -- and there was nowhere that he wanted to be other than firmly in the present.

"It's beautiful, love," he murmured, leaning back into Ianto's arms and looking up at his lover.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you," the young man whispered, his lips meeting the Time Lord's in a kiss more heady than the wine.

As lost as they were in each other, neither of the two men saw the brilliant colors of the sunset blaze across the sky and the stars begin to make pinpricks against the darkness.

***