Title: Green Thoughts
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 25fluffyfics
Prompt: 17, Jealousy
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 looked down at the bar in front of him, pretending to study his glass. He wasn't going to interrupt the conversation that the Doctor was having with someone he obviously knew, but he didn't like the way that the man was looking at his lover.

The Doctor didn't appear to notice that anything was amiss; he was chatting animatedly, waving his hands in the air as he usually did when he was excited about something. The man was standing next to him and smiling -- though to Ianto's eyes, it was more of a smirk.

What did he think -- that the Doctor was simply going to take off with him and sleep with him just because they hadn't seen each other in a while? Ianto knew that his lover wouldn't even consider doing that, but he wanted to make sure that this man knew it, too.

He had dismissed Ianto from the moment the Doctor had introduced them, obviously trying to turn the weight of his considerable charm to the Time Lord. Ianto was sure that the Doctor wasn't falling for that, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy.

It wasn't just uneasiness he was feeling, Ianto realized with a jolt. It was jealousy. The same jealousy that he'd felt when he'd first become involved with the Doctor, and he'd thought of the relationship that his lover had once had with Jack.

Of course, the Doctor had a right to feel that same jealousy about him where Jack was concerned. He'd been involved with the immortal too -- though he didn't think he'd captured Jack's heart to the extent that the Time Lord had.

Maybe that was just his own biased opinion, Ianto thought, a slight smile tugging at his lips. To him, the Doctor was the most desirable person who had ever existed. And he naturally would expect others to think the same way.

But he didn't want the man who was talking to his lover now to think that way about him, Ianto thought angrily, glancing over at the Doctor again. He had picked up his drink and was sipping it, the tall man leaning down to whisper something into his ear.

The Doctor pulled back, frowning slightly and shaking his head. The other man reached out to lay a hand on the Time Lord's shoulder, as though to soothe him; the Doctor seemed to relax, though the slight frown remained on his features.

What was his lover doing? Ianto asked himself, taking another swallow of his drink as he watched this exchange. The green thoughts of jealousy that had been swirling around in his mind sank their claws more deeply into him, intensifying his own frown.

Why was the Doctor still talking to that man? There had obviously been something in what he said to upset the Time Lord, or at least to make him wary. So why hadn't the Doctor excused himself and come back to this side of the bar to be with Ianto?

Maybe this man had some sort of hold over the Doctor, the young man told himself, his imagination starting to run wild. Maybe they'd had some sort of relationship in the past -- and the Time Lord was even at this moment being reminded of that fact.

And there was always the slight chance that the Doctor was tempted to resurrect whatever might have been in their past, Ianto thought bitterly, signaling to the bartender for another drink. Maybe he was getting tired of having a human lover.

No, he couldn't be, Ianto tried to assure himself, waiting for the bartender to mix his third drink. They were soul mates; the Doctor wouldn't simply get tired of him. And he certainly wouldn't turn to someone from his past and betray the person he was with.

The Time Lord's mind didn't work like that. He wasn't like Jack, who thought nothing of going from one lover to another as though infidelity didn't matter. The Doctor actually believed in being faithful to the person he'd given his hearts to.

That had been the problem with Jack, Ianto told himself with a wry smile. He hadn't believed in fidelity; that word wasn't something Jack understood. It had never been a part of his vocabulary -- and there were other considerations, too.

Jack had never really been in love with him. The immortal had been fond of him, yes; but he'd basically been someone to pass the time with, a body beside him when he felt the need to be sexual. Ianto had never been the love of his life. He was never even close.

There wans't a great love in Jack's life, Ianto thought, and that made him feel sorry for the immortal. He would never know what it was like to give himself completely to someone, to trust in them with all of his heart and soul. He would never know what it was like to truly love.

But then again, maybe he was lucky in some ways, the young man said to himself as he looked over at the Doctor again. He would also never know the pain of jealousy; he would never care if a lover seemed to be interested in someone else.

Ianto tried to make himself look away from whatever might be happening between the Doctor and that man, but he couldn't. He could swear that there was a green haze in front of his eyes, starting to obscure his vision, making him clench his fists and grit his teeth.

Green thoughts, indeed, he said to himself as he slid off the barstool, approaching the corner where the stranger seemed, to him, to be accosting the Time Lord. Just as he moved, however, the man moved off, melting into the crowd as though he'd never been there.

The young man stopped in his tracks, wondering if it was his sudden movement that had made the man leave. He had seemed to be glued to the Doctor's side, and Ianto had thought that he was going to have a difficult time convincing him that the Time Lord was with someone.

The Doctor stood up as Ianto approached, looking up and greeting his young lover with a smile. "Ianto, why didn't you come over and talk with us?" he asked, tilting his head to one side as he regarded the other man. "I was waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?" Ianto's surprise showed in both his face and his voice; the Time Lord laughed, slipping his hand into his young lover's. "Of course I was. You don't think I wanted him to carry me off, do you? I was hoping you would come over and rescue me."

"Rescue you?" Ianto blinked, unable to process what the Doctor was telling him. "You looked a though you were enjoying the conversation. In fact --" He lowered his voice, swallowing hard as he spoke again. "I thought you wanted to spend some more .... err, private time with him."

"What?" Now it was the Doctor's turn to blink, a shocked look spreading across his features. "Ianto, you can't be serious! You know that I'm with you. I've told you -- Gallifreyans bond for all of their lifetimes once they find their soul mate."

"I know." Ianto felt like a child being chastised; he had to fight the urge to look down and scuff the toe of his shoe against the floor. "I-I was jealous. I'm sorry, Doctor. I know that those green thoughts aren't worthy of you, or of what we share."

"No, they aren't," the Doctor said softly, sliding one arm around Ianto's waist. "But I can't blame you for being jealous, Ianto. He did want to carry me off -- and it took me a while to convince him that I'm with someone now and that I'm not interested in him."

"I knew it!" Ianto frowned again, then shook his head as he looped one arm around the Doctor's slender waist. "It doesn't matter now, Doctor. He's not here any more -- and we have the entire evening ahead of us. What should we do next?"

"I say let's get out of here, go back to the Tardis, and you can make love to me to make up for those green thoughts you were having," said the Doctor, his tone mock-severe. "You owe me an apology for that, Ianto! You should have known better!"

"Yes, I should have," Ianto said, leaning closer to the Doctor to whisper in his ear. "And I think I'll need to spend a lot of time making love to you to show you just how sorry I am about all of those green thoughts I was having. We might be in bed for days."

"In that case, you should get started as soon as possible," the Doctor told him, heading for the door of the bar with Ianto in tow. The young man smiled to himself as he followed his lover, wanting to get back to the Tardis as quickly as they could.

***