Title: Love of A Lifetime
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, 50episodes
Prompt: 43, Sunset
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 raised a hand to his eyes, shading them from the sun as he looked out over the beach. The Doctor probably wasn't far from the Tardis; there wasn't really anywhere that he could go here without Ianto being able to spot him.

Ah, there he was, not too far from the Tardis. He was apparently watching the rolling surf, concentrating on the beauty of nature that was all around them. Ianto couldn't hold back a smile as he left the doorway of the ship and moved across the sand toward his lover.

Reaching the spot where the Doctor was seated, Ianto sank down onto the sand behind the other man, wrapping his arms around the Time Lord's slim waist and pulling him close. The Doctor sighed softly, turning his head slightly to look at Ianto.

"This is beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, his voice husky. "It's not often we get to enjoy a sunset like this. We should come to places like the beach more often. There are times when I forget just how much natural beauty there can be in the world."

Ianto looked out over the waves, the sun glinting off their silvery surface. The sky was beginning to darken slightly; there were already streaks of color forming, heralding what promised to be an utterly magnificent sunset.

It was indeed going to be a beautiful sight. But to Ianto, nothing that he could look on in the world, no matter how gorgeous or awe-inspiring the vision might be, would ever be as beautiful to his eyes as the man who was now clasped in his arms.

He nuzzled his cheek against the Doctor's hair, feeling as though he had everything he wanted in the world. What more could he ask for? The Doctor was in his arms, and the two of them had no worries on the immediate horizon.

Of course, there was always the threat of the Master coming back into their lives that loomed large over them, and the fact that there were always Cybermen and other enemies lurking in the galaxy. But for now, they could relax.

The sun was sinking lower in the sky now; there were more streaks of color appearing over the waves. First a pale pink, then a deeper red and orange stained the sky. Ianto drew in his breath at the sight of the sunset; he couldn't remember ever having seen one so beautiful.

Or maybe it was only so beautiful to him because he was sharing it with the Doctor.

Was this the first time they'd watched a sunset together? Ianto's mind went back over the time he'd been with the Doctor; he could recall other times they'd watched a sunset, but that had been early in their relationship. That time seemed so long ago.

They knew each other far better now than they had then; they'd come through so much together, and they'd only grown closer over time. Even the brief period they'd spent away from each other, thinking that they would go their separate ways, had brought them closer in the end.

This man had shown him so much of the world; he'd given Ianto insight into a universe that he'd only been able to dream of before they'd been together. He'd taken Ianto away from the life he'd always thought that he would live and given him an entirely new outlook on life.

And what had he done for the Doctor? He might not have been able to show this man new places, or give him adventures that he wouldn't have otherwise had -- but he'd given the Time Lord something that no one else had ever been able to.

He'd given the Doctor a steadfast love that had never wavered. Even when they were apart, when he'd thought that he would never see the Time Lord again, he'd never stopped loving this man; his heart had belonged to the Doctor from the moment they'd met.

His love for the Doctor had never faltered, never grown cold. And it never would.

What he shared with the Doctor went deeper than love. He couldn't put a name to exactly what he felt for the Time Lord, but it was deeper than any other emotion he'd ever experienced, a feeling that he knew would last until time itself ceased to exist.

He'd been in love before. He'd loved Lisa, and her death had nearly torn his heart out. He'd loved Jack, too -- though he'd known from the beginning of that relationship that it wasn't meant to last. But there had been other loves in his life.

The love he felt for the Doctor dwarfed any other emotion he'd ever felt. It didn't mean that he hadn't cared for the other people in his past -- but they had only been the entr'acte to the main part of the story of the life of Ianto Jones.

He had always scoffed at the idea of anyone having a soul mate. He'd never been able to bring himself to believe that fate could have intended one person for him; he believed in fidelity and monogamy, but he also believed that he had to search long and hard for that one person.

With the Doctor, it hadn't been like that. This man had almost seemed to burst into his life, like a skyrocket writing his name across the heavens. He'd never felt such an immediate attraction to anyone; it had felt as though he was pulled towards the Doctor from the very first.

Of course, he had been, Ianto thought to himself with a smile. This man was his soul mate; he had come to believe that with all his heart during the time they'd been together. He'd been intended to be with the Doctor since the moment he was born.

The concept of having one true love in his lifetime had never been something he'd thought of with much seriousness. But being with the Time Lord had made him feel that not only was it possible, but that it had happened to him in a way that he'd never thought it could.

The Doctor was his love of a lifetime. He didn't doubt it for a second.

Everything about the two of them fit into place. It was as though there had been a space in his life that was meant to be filled by only one person -- and when the Doctor had slipped into that niche, Ianto's life had become completely fulfilled.

His eyes took in the beauty of the sunset, the colors now turning from pinks and reds to deeper purples, the colors darkening as the sky began to turn indigo around them. The colors were darkening, fading, but no less beautiful for their deepening.

His life with the Doctor would be like that, Ianto thought. It would deepen into something much richer than the first rush of infatuation; he would grow old with this man, spending a lifetime with his lover before he too would fade and the world would darken for him.

Strangely, that thought didn't make him feel depressed. It was a comfortable feeling to know that he would be with the Doctor for the remainder of his life -- and that he would live on in this man's heart and soul long after he was gone from this realm.

"The colours are beautiful, aren't they?" the Doctor murmured, the words breaking into Ianto's thoughts. "I've seen so many sunsets, but there are never any as gorgeous as the sunets here on Earth. And none so beautiful as the ones I've shared with you."

Ianto bowed his head to brush his lips against the Doctor's cheek, drawing the Time Lord closer against the warmth of his body. "There's one thing I can think of that's more beautiful than any sunset -- or any other sight I've ever laid eyes on," he whispered, his voice soft and husky.

"And what would that be?" the Doctor asked, his tone curious.

"You," Ianto replied, raising a hand to stroke the Time Lord's cheek. He couldn't say another word; his heart was already overflowing with the love he felt for this man, and to say anything else would surely make him burst into tears that he wouldn't be able to hold back.

The Doctor leaned back in Ianto's arms, turning his head slightly to look up at his young lover. By the look in the other man's eyes, Ianto could tell that he was moved to speechlessness as well; the two of them looked into each other's eyes, no words needed between them.

When their lips met, it was less a kiss than a declaration of their feelings for each other. This was more than love, more than devotion. This man was indeed his love of a lifetime, Ianto thought, not only in this life, but for the rest of eternity.

***