Title: Living in A Box
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Table: 3,50ficlets
Prompt: 21, Boxes
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.

***

"Doesn't it bother you that humans have such a tendency to put people into rigid little boxes and expect them to stay there?" the Doctor asked Ianto, leaning back against the couch cushions and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Of course it does," Ianto told him, putting popping a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth and swallowing before he spoke again. "But in some ways, I'm used to it. You forget that I've grown up with those kinds of prejudices, even if I don't share them."

"You weren't even allowed to be yourself when you lived on Earth! When you were with Jack, it wasn't as though you could be honest with everyone about who you were and who you loved," the Doctor continued, scowling.

"And if you and I were on Earth at this very moment, there would be people who would want to beat us to within an inch of our lives for being lovers."

"How can you live with attitudes like that?" The Doctor's tone was indignant; he shook his head at Ianto, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Ianto. It's a subject that always gets me a bit worked up. I simply don't understand it."

"I'm not particularly fond of the attitude myself," Ianto told him, crumpling the empty bag that had held their popcorn. "But when you grow up on Earth in the time period that I did, it's something you learn to live with and accept. And you work to change it, if you can."

"I hate the thought that anyone should have to live their lives in that sort of an environment," the Doctor sighed, resting his chin on his hand. "Everyone being forced to live in a tiny little box, having society dictate how they should live their lives."

"Many people don't, you know," Ianto pointed out. "They buck conventions and live their lives the way they choose to. Jack and I did -- even though we didn't parade ourselves about in public, the people closest to us knew what our relationship was."

The Doctor laughed wryly, shaking his head. "I'm surprised that Jack didn't show you off more than he did. He's always been one to flaunt what he has -- though maybe living in the 21st century has taught him to be a bit more circumspect."

"Not just the 21st century," Ianto said with a laugh. "What about all those past centuries he lived in? It must have been hard for him, being who he is in that time period."

"That was something he would never talk about much when he was with me," the Doctor murmured, looking down and not meeting Ianto's eyes. "I think a part of him still blamed me for putting him there. That's probably part of the reason why he wouldn't stay with me."

"It would be his way of thinking to leave you as a kind of revenge," Ianto mused, then frowned and shook his head firmly. "No, I don't think that's it. Jack might be the type of man to do that to some people -- but not to you, Doctor. Never to you."

"Maybe you're right." The Doctor tucked his long legs up under him, resting his elbows on his knees and regarding Ianto, a slight smile on his face. "And it doesn't matter, anyway. What Jack and I had is long over. I've found my true soul mate."

"As have I," Ianto said softly, his blue-grey gaze meeting the Doctor's. "If I hadn't, I still be living in a box. And to answer your question, Doctor -- yes, it does annoy me that people on Earth still have such conventional ways of thinking."

"That attitude does change in the future, you know," the Doctor said softly, wanting to give Ianto some hope for the future of his planet. "Jack is proof of that. Humans came a long way between your time and the one he originally comes from."

"Are all humans like him in the future?" Ianto asked, rolling his eyes. "Do they all have such a cavalier way of looking at love and relationships and commitment?"

"Now, that's something I couldn't tell you," the Time Lord admitted. "I'm not human -- and I wasn't on Earth during some of its most radical changes. But I believe it was a gradual thing. Just a case of people becoming more tolerant over the centuries."

"At least I can be glad that you took me away from that box I was being forced to live in," Ianto said softly, smiling at his boyfriend. "You've opened up a whole new world to me, Doctor. A world that I'd never have dreamed was out there before you came into my life."

Getting up from his chair, he moved to the couch and sat down beside the Time Lord, slipping an arm around the slender man's waist and pulling him close. "Thank you, love," he said softly. "Thank you for taking me out of that box and giving me the most wonderful life imaginable."

"And thank you for having the courage to let me do it," the Doctor replied, resting his head against his lover's shoulder. Ianto smiled inwardly as he ran his fingers through the Time Lord's hair; he had indeed broken out of the box he'd been living in, and he had no regrets over leaving it far behind.

***