Title: Hideaway
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4
Prompt: 48, Weeks
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 glanced towards the Doctor, looking up from the book he was reading and regarding the Time Lord from under his lashes. The other man had seemed restless lately, and the young Welshman couldn't help but wonder if he was becoming bored with being here at home in Cardiff. He was more than likely longing to be out amongst the stars again.

But yet .... Ianto couldn't repress a shiver at the thought of what had happened the last time that his lover had left him behind and gone out there on his own. The quarrel that had started everything was far in the past now, and their relationship was stronger than it had ever been. But the memories still lingered, memories that he couldn't completely put behind him.

They were probably far worse for the Doctor than for himself, Ianto thought, watching as the Time Lord paced to the window, then back to his chair, sitting down and curling his long legs up under him. After a few moments, the Doctor got up again, pacing back to the window, this time standing there with his forehead resting against the glass.

Ianto was sure that the Doctor was looking out of that window with an unseeing gaze. His slight frown deepened as he regarded the Gallifreyan; he had to bring up the subject of the Doctor's obvious restlessness, but he wasn't quite sure of how to do it.

Why was he being like this? Was he becoming bored with their life together? Worse yet, was he bored with Ianto? No, that couldn't be it. His mind automatically pushed such a thought away; the Doctor wasn't the type of man who would choose a mate and then throw them away because of boredom. There had to be something more to this restlessness than mere boredom.

Was he worried about something? Or .... the thought crashed into Ianto's mind with the force of a speeding train. Was the Doctor having problems putting those memories behind him, too? Did he think that somehow the Master might be able to track him down in the one place that he'd begun to think of as his safe haven?

That would certainly explain the Time Lord's agitation, Ianto told himself, his frown deepening. The last thing his lover would want was to confront the Master again so soon after what he'd been through at that monster's hands. And Ianto wasn't about to let him even consider doing it.

But it wouldn't be any safer if they were to take refuge in the Tardis, he thought with an inner sigh. In fact, it would more than likely be even more dangerous -- the Master could certainly manage to locate the Tardis more easily when she was out there unprotected. The Doctor would be placing himself in more peril there than he was here.

Still, if he wanted to get away .... Ianto closed his eyes, wishing that he could quiet his jumbled thoughts. If the Doctor wanted to go out into time and space, then he was going to go along this time. He wouldn't take no for an answer -- not after what had happened the last time. And the Time Lord had promised that the next time he left, Ianto would be with him.

He knew that the Doctor wasn't one to renege on a promise, especially not one like that. He'd keep his word and take Ianto with him, even if he had misgivings about doing so. Besides, he was sure that the Time Lord was still more than a little shaky about the prospect of dealing with the Master again -- and although he might not be able to keep his love safe, he'd do his best.

This time, his sigh was audible; the Doctor turned around from the window to cast a worried look over at him. Ianto looked up, his gaze locking with those dark eyes, his heart clenching in his chest when he saw the worried expression on his love's face.

Getting up from the couch, he went to the window, sliding his arms around the Doctor's slim waist and letting the Time Lord lean against him. It was a position he'd gotten used to, one that he felt comfortable with. When he'd been with Jack, he'd never been the one to give comfort. Now, with the Doctor, the tables were turned -- and he was finding that he liked things that way.

"What are you so worried about, love?" he whispered, pressing a kiss to the Doctor's forehead and resting his cheek against the softness of the Gallifreyan's hair. "And don't try to tell me that it's nothing. I know you too well for that."

The Doctor didn't answer for a few moments; when he did, his words were preceded by a sigh that Ianto could feel moving through the thin body clasped in his arms. "I wouldn't say worried, exactly. More .... apprehensive. I know that I can't stay here forever, Ianto. You know that I need my bond with the Tardis -- but I'm reluctant to leave here."

"After what happened the last time you did, I don't blame you at all," the young man said softly, closing his eyes and trying to hold back his own shudder. He still had nightmares about what he'd seen when they'd found the Doctor, dreams that wrenched him from sleep drenched in sweat with his heart pounding so hard he could barely breathe.

And if his memories were that vivid, then he could imagine what the Doctor's were like. He had, after all, been the one to suffer through that horrific experience. Ianto was sure that he was still affected by it, though he also knew that the Time Lord was managing to distance himself from the memories a bit more with each day that passed.

"I can't hide from him forever, Ianto." The Doctor's voice was heavy, resigned. "He can find me here just as easily as he could if I was out there in the Tardis, you know. And if he decides that he wants me, he'll come looking. That's what eats away at me. That if you're with me when he shows up again, he'll aim his vendetta at you as much as he does at me."

"I'm prepared for that," Ianto told him, his voice sounding a good deal stronger and firmer than he felt. He wasn't going to let that monster victimize the man he loved again -- but he readily admitted that he was terrified of the Master. Anyone in their right mind would be.

"I'm not," the Doctor whispered, swallowing audibly. "I'm not prepared for anything to happen that could possibly take you away from me. We've been lucky with him so far, Ianto, but our luck won't last forever. And I'm not willing to put you in the middle of something that you should never have gotten involved in. I'd rather sacrifice myself than see you harmed."

"I won't let you do that." Ianto's voice grew stronger, his hold on the Doctor becoming tighter and more protective. "Don't even think about that, do you hear me? You're not going to be noble and turn yourself into a living sacrifice for me. It isn't that I don't appreciate that you'd do something like that for me, but .... I couldn't bear to lose you. You know that."

The Doctor didn't answer; he only huddled into Ianto's arms, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against his young lover's shoulder. Ianto stroked his hands down the Time Lord's back, feeling the knots of tension in the other man's body, and hating himself for not being able to make that tension go away.

He was supposed to protect the Doctor, wasn't he? And a fine job he'd done of that, he berated himself, thinking back over the times since they'd been together that the Master had been able to get at the Gallifreyan -- or at both of them. He should have been able to prevent that.

But he hadn't, he told himself firmly, pushing his self-doubts away. Thinking like that wouldn't do them any good; it would only make him feel all the more inadequate, and he was done with that. He'd told himself that when he got the Doctor back safely, his doubts and fears would be put into the past. He'd make himself worthy of the Doctor.

So far, he'd managed to do so -- but he hadn't really been tested, had he? They'd stayed here in Cardiff, safely tucked away into the life that Ianto was used to. The problem was, the Doctor wasn't used to a life like this. He wasn't the kind of man who would ever be satisfied with this -- yes, he needed the stability of a mate, but he also needed more than this grounded existence.

The Time Lord needed a certain amount of freedom -- and Ianto was going to give him what he needed. His love had said that they wouldn't be parted again, and Ianto knew him well enough to know that those words were true. He couldn't expect the Doctor to stay here in Cardiff -- he needed to spread his wings, to fly unfettered.

And he'd take Ianto with him on those flights. He'd promised that. Ianto raised a hand to stroke the Doctor's hair, reveling in the feeling of that slender body pressed against his own. This was the way they were intended to be. Together, with no barriers between them.

It had been weeks since the Doctor was last out there; after his encounter with the Master, and then their first attempt at spending time exploring the reaches of time and space, Ianto had wanted the Doctor to keep himself safe from any kind of danger. But he was fast coming to the realization that this wasn't the way to keep the Time Lord protected.

The Doctor was a man who, while he didn't exactly welcome danger, would always rush headlong into it if that meant he could do some good in the world. It was one of the things Ianto loved about him -- that he would be willing to risk his life for the well-being of others. The Doctor did so much good in the world, in this time and any other; Ianto couldn't keep him from that.

But he had to admit that there were times when the trouble that found the Doctor was purely by accident -- such as the last situation they'd stumbled into. The bruises were gone from the Time Lord's body, but Ianto would never forget the despair he'd felt when he'd been searching for the Doctor, almost sure that he would never see his love alive again.

Thank goodness, that hadn't been the case. But that experience had made him wary of getting into the Tardis again, as much as he was beginning to feel that the ship was a safe place for him as well as for the man he loved. He'd have to push himself past those uneasy feelings, and take all of their adventures as they came, without trying to run from anything.

After all, the Doctor never ran away. He confronted everything that came to him, good or bad -- and Ianto had made up his mind that he was going to follow the Time Lord's example. He wouldn't be worthy of loving this extraordinary man if he didn't.

He'd follow the Doctor anywhere. It didn't matter if he put himself into the path of danger -- the two of them belonged together, and he wasn't going to let the man he loved face anything that he wasn't willing to face himself. Ianto knew that the Doctor would have done the same for him.

"I think Jack will have to deal with not having me around for at least a few weeks," he murmured against the Time Lord's hair, a smile curving his lips. "When you're this restless, I know what it means. You need to get back to the Tardis, and be out there amongst the stars. And I'm coming with you, you know. We won't be parted again."

"It's not the safest place to be," the Time Lord said softly, not raising his head from the young man's shoulder. "Anything could happen, Ianto. I know that you want to protect me -- but I want to protect you just as much, if not more. Are you sure that you want to put yourself into the path of danger when you don't have to?"

"Of course I am," Ianto whispered, pressing two fingers beneath the Doctor's chin to lift the other man's face to his so that their eyes met. "I made that decision the first time I looked into your eyes and knew that I loved you. It isn't a decision, not really. It's just what I have to do."

He bowed his head, pressing his lips against the Doctor's in a gentle kiss. The Time Lord's thin arms slid around his neck, that slim body molding against his; the soft moan coming from the other man's throat left Ianto in no doubt of what else he needed to do. Or rather, what else he wanted to do.

He bent to slide one arm beneath the Doctor's knees, the other firmly wrapped around the Time Lord's waist; lifting the Doctor into his arms, he turned and strode purposefully towards their bedroom in the back of his flat, depositing the Doctor onto their bed and leaning over him to press another, more insistent, kiss to that delectable mouth.

"A few weeks, hmmm?" the Time Lord murmured breathlessly when Ianto let him come up for air. "I think that could be arranged. We may not be able to avoid getting into trouble -- but at least we'll be going into it together."

Ianto nodded, tugging at the hem of the Doctor's t-shirt, wanting nothing so much as to rip it off but trying to be patient. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible," the Doctor answered, pulling his shirt off over his head and tossing it to the floor, then lying back with his arms stretched over his head. Ianto smiled, moving his hands down the other man's sides and moaning when that slim body arched beneath his hands.

Cardiff was their hideaway, but the universe was calling to the Doctor -- and Ianto wanted to be right there with him. Still, they would have a bit of time before they left, and Ianto wanted to take advantage of that time as much as he could.

There was a lot to be said for being out there in time and space -- but for right now, he was right where he needed -- and wanted -- to be.

***