Title: No Safe Place
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Table: slash_me_twice
Prompt: 72, Safe
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 over at the Doctor, his eyes roaming over the other man's features as he did so. The Time Lord was lost in the book he was reading, his eyes moving over the lines of type quickly, oblivious to everything around him.

He loved seeing the Doctor like this. It wasn't often that his lover was sitting still and not in perpetual motion; he always seemed to be busy doing something, and Ianto liked being able to look at him when he was relaxed and in repose.

At least when they were like this, he knew that the Doctor was safe, and not running straight into some kind of danger that Ianto might not be able to protect him from.

Ianto almost smiled at the thought; he knew very well that he couldn't keep the Doctor out of danger all the time. There was something about his lover that seemed to attract trouble; he'd accepted that as part of the life that the Time Lord led.

For some reason, danger always seemed to be able to find the Doctor, even when he wasn't looking for it. He could try as best he could to avoid it, but it always found some way to head straight towards him, as though he was some kind of homing beacon.

Ianto accepted that as part of the life that the two of them led. But that certainly wasn't going to stop him from trying to protect the Doctor at every turn, if he could manage to.

He winced as he thought back over the time they'd been together; he certainly hadn't managed to keep his love safe a good deal of the time, had he? But he'd done the best he could, and he fancied that he hadn't been a complete failure.

The Doctor definitely didn't think so, and that was what mattered to Ianto. Though of course, his lover didn't expect to be protected -- he seemed to think that he was supposed to look after Ianto and make sure that he didn't come to any harm.

Neither of them had been able to protect the other, Ianto thought wryly, shaking his head. They'd both been in bad situations since they first became lovers -- alone and with each other. But somehow, they had managed to come through all of them.

The bad experiences they'd been through had only made them stronger. Their bond grew with each day that they were together -- and so did their determination to keep the other safe.

His own safety meant little to Ianto; that was one of the reasons that he'd wanted to be more with the Torchwood team than just the office boy. It had been thrilling to go out on missions, but that hadn't been his foremost reason for wanting to do that.

He'd been all too willing to throw himself into the path of danger; at one time, he hadn't give a damn if he'd lived or died. His relationship with Jack had changed that, but he'd still had that streak of recklessness in him, feeling as though he didn't matter.

Jack hadn't changed that. He'd made the feeling go away for short amounts of time, but he hadn't even tried to eradicate it.

Ianto had shut so much of himself away from Jack, not telling the immortal how deep his feelings had gone. He hadn't wanted to; there had still been a part of him that couldn't forgive Jack for killing Lisa, even though he'd known that was unavoidable.

He'd been right to do what he did. In his heart, Ianto knew it. But it was so hard to accept; he'd felt that Lisa had been the only person in the world who'd truly loved him and understood him, and her loss had been the most crushing blow he'd ever felt.

He had loved her, in the same way that he'd loved Jack. But that love was nothing compared to what he felt for the Doctor.

Whatever he'd felt for any other lover in his past had just been a curtain call, an entr'acte that took place while he was waiting for the star to appear. His love for the Doctor eclipsed any other emotion he'd ever felt for anyone.

Ianto sighed, his eyes still on the Doctor. The Time Lord hadn't stirred; apparently, he didn't realize that his young lover was watching him from halfway across the room. He was still reading avidly, his tawny head bent over his book.

How could he keep danger from coming too near to his love? Ianto almost sighed aloud, only keeping himself from doing so with an effort. The truth was, he couldn't keep the Doctor safe all the time, and he knew it.

He'd give anything to be able to block any trouble from getting to his lover, but he knew that wasn't possible. And the Doctor wouldn't thank him for it, either.

He knew that the man he loved led a dangerous life. and he'd thought that he could accept that fact, but it was harder and harder to deal with the fact that the Doctor could be injured -- or worse, forced to regenerate for some reason -- any time they went to a new place.

Even places that the Doctor was used to could be dangerous. He'd seen that often enough; there had been more than enough times when they'd been on Earth, in the time period that Ianto was used to, and they'd found trouble there.

Still, he knew that even if he couldn't keep the Doctor safe, he'd spend the rest of his life trying to do so. That was the least he could do for the man he loved -- to be there for him in any way he could, even if he didn't expect it.

After all, he was the man who the Doctor had chosen to be his companion and lover; that meant that he was trusted above anyone else in the Time Lord's life.

That thought couldn't help but bring a small smile to Ianto's lips as he sat watching his love. They might not be able to keep each other perfectly safe, given the life they led and the places they went. But that shouldn't keep them from trying to do just that.

There was no safe place, not for people like them. But he had the safest place that he could possibly imagine, and so did the Doctor -- in each other's arms, hearts, and lives. And he was certain that there was no other place either of them would rather be.

***