Title: I Will Come To You
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3
Prompt: 10, Choice
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 stood at the sliding glass doors of Ianto's flat in Cardiff, looking out over the waking city. What would Ianto think when they had to leave this city for good, and make their home in the Tardis?He couldn't help but wonder.

His young lover had always thought of Cardiff as home, even since the two of them had been together and the Doctor had introduced him to more new worlds than he'd ever known existed. He would probably always think of this city as home.

But the Doctor knew that they couldn't spend the rest of their lives here; he was a traveler, a wanderer, and he would never be happy in one place. He'd grown to love this flat and think of it as a home away from home, but it still wasn't where he belonged.

He wanted to feel that Ianto's home was his as well, but there was always that part of him that didn't quite accept any place other than the Tardis as his permanent home. Maybe that was only because she'd been his refuge for so long.

Could Ianto ever see the Tardis as being his home? The Doctor sighed, leaning his head against the glass. It wouldn't be easy for the younger man, he knew that. He was used to being here, or in London. His whole life had been spent on Earth.

Ianto wouldn't stay with Torchwood forever, either; he was already on a sort of hiatus, and they both felt that it wouldn't be long before Jack told him to leave permanently.

That would be another wrench for Ianto, the Doctor thought glumly, one small hand crushing a handful of curtain fabric in a tight grip. He'd tried so hard to get into this incarnation of Torchwood, and now -- because of his lover, he'd be forced to leave.

He didn't have to make that choice, of course. He could choose Earth and Torchwood over their relationship, and the Doctor would understand. He wouldn't like it, and he'd be unhappy for the rest of his life -- but he would understand.

He didn't expect Ianto to make him the center of his life. It was what he wanted -- but he knew that he had no right to demand that of anyone. Even though Ianto had continually said that the Doctor was everything to him, he wouldn't hold the young man to those words.

Ianto had roots here; he had a life here that he'd had long before he'd met the Doctor. He couldn't come crashing into that life and upset it, turn it upside-down, and expect everything to be as he wanted it to be. It wasn't fair to Ianto.

Whatever Ianto did had to be his choice; he couldn't interfere with that choice in any way. He knew that Ianto loved him, that the young man wanted to spend his life with him. But would he still feel the same if he didn't have this bit of familiarity to come back to?

His hand moved to the pendant around his neck, long, slender fingers closing over the softly glowing stone, feeling it pulse in his grasp.

Ianto was his soul mate. He wouldn't leave; he wouldn't just walk out of the Doctor's life without a backward glance, as so many others had done. Ianto wasn't like anyone else. What they shared couldn't be turned away from so easily.

He had to choke back a sob, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and gripping the curtain with his free hand. What if Ianto changed his mind? What if he decided that Torchwood and his home on Earth meant more to him than being in love with an .... an alien?

The Doctor almost jumped when Ianto's arms slid around him from behind; he tried to compose himself, to pretend that he hadn't been on the verge of tears. This wasn't something that he wanted to bring up with Ianto yet, not when he was still emotionally unsettled.

"What is it, love?" Ianto's voice was in his ear, those strong arms turning him around to face his lover. The Doctor couldn't make himself meet the younger man's eyes; he was afraid that he would give too much away in a glance.

Or worse, that he would cry, though he was trying hard to hold back his feelings. Ianto didn't need that kind of worry transferred to him, not now. He had enough to worry about with the threat of being told that he was no longer needed with Torchwood.

He shook his head, trying to force a smile. "Nothing, really. It's just .... I know you're worried about your future with Torchwood. I am, too."

Ianto shook his head, pulling the Doctor closer against him, one hand stroking back a stray lock of hair from the Time Lord's forehead. "It's more than that. You wouldn't be on the edge of bursting into tears because you're worried about me possibly leaving Torchwood."

The Doctor took a deep breath; it appeared that he was going to have to talk with Ianto about this issue, and maybe that was a good thing. He needed to get his fears out in the open, let his lover know how he was feeling.

He'd hidden his emotions from people far too often in the past -- often with detrimental results. He couldn't do that with Ianto; hadn't he learned by now that this man would never hurt him, that he could trust Ianto with his life, his hearts, his soul?

"I .... I know that if Jack makes you leave Torchwood, you won't have a place here on Earth," he said, feeling his throat tighten as he spoke the words. "And I know that it's going to be hard for you to give up everything that you love just to be with me."

Ianto sighed, his arms tightening around the Doctor's waist. He didn't speak for several long moments; the Doctor held his breath, closing his eyes and hoping that Ianto wasn't eventually going to say something that might break his hearts.

"I could give up anything here on Earth before I could give you up," he finally whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Nothing here means anything to me without you."

"What if the only place you have to live is the Tardis?" He hated that his voice sounded so weak, so constricted, as though he had to force himself to speak. "That could never be the home to you that Cardiff is. I know that."

"Then that's where I'll live, and I'll be happy as long as you're there." Ianto tilted the Time Lord's face to his, cupping the Doctor's cheek, his fingers stroking over the other man's soft skin. "My home is wherever you are, Doctor. It's love that makes a home, wherever it might be."

"And if I had to leave -- and not come back -- would you want to go with me and leave everything that's familiar behind?" he asked, almost choking on the words. "I wouldn't want you to come with me if you're not sure it's what you want, Ianto."

The young man bowed his head, resting his cheek against the tawny softness of the Doctor's hair. "Doctor .... it doesn't matter where you are. I will come to you, no matter where in the universe you might go. I belong with you -- and you with me."

The Doctor sagged against Ianto, feeling tears well up behind his eyelids. He'd hoped this was how Ianto would feel -- but he'd had that small nagging doubt in the back of his mind. With his words, Ianto had banished that doubt to a faraway place.

It was ridiculous that such an expression of love should make him want to cry. He'd known that Ianto loved him. He just hadn't known how much until this moment.

Ianto was willing to give up everything for him, without a second thought or a backward glance. No one else had ever done that -- there had always been that slight hesitation. With Ianto, there was no doubt, no hesitation. Ianto would be with him unconditionally.

"There's nowhere in the universe that I'd rather be than with you," he whispered, the tears finally starting to fall. Ianto bent his head to press soft lips against his cheeks, kissing his tears away, his actions speaking louder than any words he could have said.

What had he done to deserve this kind of love? He didn't know, but he intended to hold onto it with all his strength and never let it go. It was a once in a lifetime thing -- in his case, once in several lifetimes.

It didn't matter where they were in the universe, what place they might eventually settle into. His home would always be in Ianto's heart -- a home that he never wanted to stray from.

***