Title: Hey Jealousy
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 2, 10_hurt_comfort
Prompt: 3, 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.

***

The Doctor scowled as he leaned over the console of the Tardis, trying to look as though he was concentrating on the coordinates. His small, delicate hands were gripping the sides of the console, every line of his body emanating tension.

He didn't look up when Ianto came bounding into the ship, closing the door behind him. "Sorry," the young man apologized as he moved to the console. "I wanted to say goodbye to the others, and Tosh was busy with something so I had to go to her desk."

"Are you sure that you weren't saying an extra-long goodbye to Jack?" the Doctor muttered, his tone sour. He was still scowling, the look on his handsome features reminiscent of a storm cloud that was on the verge of breaking.

Ianto's eyes widened, a frown settling on his own face. It was unusual for the Doctor to be in this kind of a mood, especially after they'd just refueled the Tardis from the Rift. He was usually excited to go on to whatever their next destination would be.

But this time, he was annoyed about something. That was more than obvious from the look on his face, the tone of his voice. Ianto cast back over the past few days in his mind, wondering what could have happened to arouse the Time Lord's ire.

He couldn't think of anything that had been said or done to make the Doctor angry. Of course, Jack had been doing his usual amount of flirting, tossing ribald remarks around, but the Time Lord usually shrugged those off, or completely ignored them.

Of course, Jack had seemed to draw him aside more than usual, though what he'd had to say to Ianto hadn't been about flirting or anything of the sort. He'd asked the young man how the Doctor was, concerned about his well-being.

They'd had a few encounters with less-than-benevolent aliens in the time that had passed since Jack had last seen them, and Ianto was sure that he only wanted to know that the Doctor was all right. But it could have been taken in another way, as well.

Could that be what his lover was angry about? Ianto sighed, wishing that he hadn't been so ready to speak with Jack alone. If the Doctor had done the same thing, maybe his own insecurities would have come to the forefront, too.

The Doctor was still leaning over the console, pressing a button here and there. Ianto felt the familiar disaplacement of time and space which meant that the Tardis had shimmered out of the Hub, breathing a sigh of relief that it was behind them.

No matter how much he enjoyed seeing his friends and former teammates at Torchwood, there was always a bit of tension when he and the Doctor were both around Jack. And the immortal's flirty attitude didn't help matters much.

But Ianto had been careful not to flirt back, and he knew that the Doctor trusted him. Their relationship was based on trust -- and he'd never given the Time Lord any reason to doubt his fidelity. Nor did he doubt that the other man was completely faithful to him.

What could have happened to make the Doctor get this upset? He couldn't think of anything, but then, it wasn't easy to realize what effect things he was doing or saying would have on others. There was no help for it -- he'd have to ask.

He gulped, taking a deep breath as he dared to move closer to the Time Lord. He had to know what it was that had made that stony look of annoyance settle onto the Doctor's face -- and if he'd unwittingly done anything that might have caused it.

"Doctor ...." His voice trailed off; he seemed to be unable to speak, the words he wanted to say drying up and sticking in his throat. He sounded as though he was croaking, not speaking; he'd never felt this nervous about saying anything to his lover before.

Taking another breath, Ianto tried again. This time, his voice came out more clearly, the words a bit hesitant. "Doctor, what's happened to upset you? If I've done anything that's made you angry, please tell me, love. I hate seeing you like this."

There. The words were out, albeit not in the most circumspect way. But with the Doctor, it was always best to take the proverbial bull by the horns, rather than dancing around the subject. Ianto had found that out already, and he didn't want to dissimulate.

The Doctor didn't answer at first; he kept his head bent over the console, his eyes firmly fixed on the array of buttons and switches there. When he finally did speak, his voice was low and controlled, his words coming out through clenched teeth.

"Did you enjoy the time you were able to spend with Jack?" He didn't look up at Ianto, but the young man could feel the anger in those words even without seeing the expression on the Time Lord's face. His eyes widened as he took another step towards the other man.

"Doctor, I didn't spend more time with him than I usually do when we're at the Hub. And I certainly didn't encourage him to flirt with me, if that's what you're upset about," Ianto said, his voice trembling. "I wouldn't do that. You know you're the only man I have any interest in."

The Doctor didn't look over at him; he kept his eyes fastened on the console, even though he wasn't touching anything there. Ianto's heart went out to him; he knew exactly how the Time Lord must be feeling. He'd felt that way in the past himself.

How had he gotten past the jealousy he'd felt when he had first met the Doctor, and been sure that this man still belonged to Jack? He'd gone home to his flat every night nursing a longing that he'd thought would never be fulfilled, living with a pain that never seemed to go away.

And yet .... somehow, the jealousy had melted away when he'd looked into the Doctor's eyes and heard the other man say that he wasn't spending so much time at the Hub to be with Jack -- but to see him. Those few words had changed everything.

Now, he had to find a way to convey everything that he was feeling to the Doctor, to make the Time Lord's pain go away just as the other man had done for him. He wasn't sure if he could, but he had to try, even if his words were inadequate.

"Doctor ...." Ianto crossed the short distance between the two of them in two steps, throwing caution to the winds and taking the Doctor into his arms. He held the thin man close against him, whispering into his ear, the words tumbling out.

"You have nothing to be jealous of," he murmured, hoping with all his heart that the Doctor would believe him. "I don't want to be with Jack. I couldn't have cared less if I had spent no time with him at all. There are no feelings between us but friendship."

The anger seemed to go out of the Doctor when Ianto's arms moved around him; he rested his forehead against his young lover's shoulder, his voice muffled when he spoke. "He acted as if he's the one with you instead of me."

The words, and the tone they were spoken in, were full of heart. Ianto felt an unreasoning hatred for Jack; he couldn't have a good opinion of anyone who hurt the Doctor in any way. And Jack had to have known how his actions would make the Time Lord feel.

"Jealousy isn't going to do either of us any good, Doctor," he said gently, raising one hand to stroke the Doctor's hair. "I know how you feel, though. I felt the same way when we first met. I was so sure that you were there to see Jack -- and he monopolized you then."

"I know that's how he reacts when anyone he finds attractive is around him," the Doctor admitted, his head still resting against Ianto's shoulder. "But I would have thought that he would have the decency to stay out of our relationship. But I suppose that's too much to expect of him."

"He was asking me if you were all right, Doctor," Ianto said softly, not wanting to paint Jack in a bad light. After all, they were all friends -- there was no reason to color the Doctor's impressions of Jack's actions, especially when they hadn't been malevolent.

"He was?" The Doctor finally raised his head, those dark eyes wide and startled. "Why would he do that?" He seemed genuinely puzzled, as though he didn't think that Jack would be the slightest bit concerned about him.

"Yes -- I'd told him about some of the narrow escapes we've had recently, and he was worried that you might be feeling the aftereffects of all that," Ianto told him, still stroking his hair. "He wasn't trying to take me away from you, Doctor -- though it may have looked that way."

"Oh." The Doctor's voice was very small; he actually looked embarrassed about his suspicions of the man who had been a former lover for both of them. "I'm sorry, Ianto. I .... I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. It was just hard to see him monopolising your attention."

"It's all right, love," Ianto assured him, relieved that the awkward, tense moments seemed to be behind them. "And he doesn't even know that you were upset -- at least, I don't think he does. So there are no apologies in order."

"Yes, there are." The Doctor looked at him soberly, his dark eyes meeting and holding Ianto's gaze. "I need to apologise to you, sweetheart. For thinking that you might be enjoying the time with him and not thinking of me while we were at Torchwood."

"I know of one way that you could definitely apologise to me," Ianto told him, a teasing not in his soft words. "Of course, it would involve spending a good deal of quality time in the bedroom, if you think that you might be up for doing that."

"Oh, I don't think there'll be any problem at all with that," the Doctor told him, a small smirk starting to form on his lips. Ianto almost ached to feel those lips under his own; he would soon enough, once they got into the bedroom, he promised himself.

If this was the result of the Time Lord being jealous, he thought as he took his lover's hand and headed towards their bedroom, he almost wished that emotion would present itself more often.

***