Title: Possession Obsession
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: PG-13
Table: 2
Prompt: 56, Possession
Author's Note: No, I don't capitalize "Tardis." It's a personal choice to write it like a proper name -- since I happen to think that it has a personality and motivations of its own, I choose to write it more like a character than a machine. I realize it's canon to capitalize it, but this is fanfic. It's for fun, not serious bizness.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Jack Harkness. Please do not sue.

***

Ianto looked around him at the interior of the Tardis, feeling no less wonder than the had the first time he'd stepped inside it. He still wasn't sure what he thought about the Doctor's insistence that he was somehow bonded to it, just as the Doctor was; it didn't seem possible. He was, after all, a mere human. Why had this extraordinary machine decided that it somehow wanted him? What made him special?

He really didn't need to ask that question, did he? Ianto thought to himself, a wry smile crossing his features. It was painfully obvious -- the Tardis had bonded with him because of his bond with the Doctor. That was the only explanation. But still, it didn't make as much sense as it could have -- there had been other companions, others who were close to the Doctor. Why hadn't the Tardis chosen to bond with them, as well?

It all came down to the same question -- why him? A question that he could hardly ask an inanimate machine that probably wouldn't be prepared to give him any answers even if it could talk.

"It's because you're so much like me, Ianto." The Doctor had come up behind him, sliding his arms around the young man's waist. Ianto leaned back against his lover, closing his eyes and letting himself sink into the Doctor's embrace. The Time Lord ran a gentle hand through Ianto's hair, continuing to speak, his voice taking on a musing tone.

"I'm a telepath. You're an empath. The two complement each other, you see. I've never had a companion before who had that sort of ability, and making it's some sort of .... missing link that the Tardis has been searching for. I can't be sure, but somehow, you're now a part of the Tardis, as much as I am. That's a bond that can never be broken."

"I wouldn't want to break it," Ianto murmured, a little overcome by the seriousness of the Doctor's words. He was telling the truth -- even though the very idea of such a bond terrified him. What was he going to do? He had a job, a family, friends .... a life. Here in Cardiff. A life he couldn't leave, not without causing quite a stir. And he didn't want to do that, even as much as he loved the Doctor and wanted to be with him.

The Doctor seemed to sense his uneasiness; the Time Lord's arms tightened around him, his soft lips brushing against Ianto's hair. "It's nothing to be afraid of, Ianto," he said softly, his voice warm and reassuring. "Believe me, having that kind of a bond can make life much easier than it is when you're completely alone in the universe."

The Time Lord's voice had become very low by the last words, and Ianto couldn't help turning his head to look at his lover's face, wondering why the Doctor sounded so melancholy. He could have kicked himself when the reason dawned on him. Of course the Time Lord thought that being bonded with his ship was better than being alone. He'd spent the majority of his life in loneliness -- a loneliness that Ianto wanted to banish for good.

Turning in the Time Lord's arms, Ianto draped his arms around the other man's shoulders, leaning forward to press his lips against the Doctor's mouth. "You aren't ever going to be alone again," he said firmly, in a voice that brooked no argument. "I'm going to be the companion who stays with you, against all odds. This time, you aren't going to face losing someone you care for."

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, but Ianto wouldn't let him; he laid his hand gently over the Time Lord's mouth and shook his head. "No, don't say that I shouldn't make a promise like that. Don't go back over all the reasons that I can't promise you forever. I don't want to hear them. Somehow, I'm going to find a way to give you the forever you need. I couldn't do anything less for you."

He removed his hand from the Doctor's mouth, leaning in to kiss the Gallifreyan again, his arms moving down to loop around the Time Lord's slender waist. Whether the Doctor was sure of him or not, Ianto was right where he wanted to be, if he was honest with himself. Yes, it was terrifying to think of leaving everything that was familiar to him -- but did he have a choice? No, not really, he told himself. The Doctor needed him more than anyone else around him did.

And he needed the Doctor. More than the other man could possibly know.

"You belong to me now," the Time Lord whispered, his dark, fathomless eyes meeting Ianto's gaze. Those eyes were like dark pools, deep bottomless wells that he wanted to fall into and lose himself in. He could spend a lifetime drowning in those eyes, never wanting to come up for air, and count himself lucky for having had the experience.

"And you to me," he countered, smiling as the Doctor's eyes widened in surprise. He obviously hadn't considered that -- but for Ianto, the issue of possession went both ways. If he belonged to the Doctor -- which he certainly didn't mind -- then the Time Lord was also his. And he wasn't going to let anyone else come between him and the man he was bonded with.

"I suppose that's something I can live with," the Doctor murmured, a wry smile curving his lips. "I've never thought that I was such a marvellous prize, though. You should consider that before you take pride in ownership."

"You're a prize I thought I could never win," Ianto whispered, resting his forehead against the Doctor's, relishing the close contact between the two of them. "I'm still in awe of the fact that you actually want to be with me, you know. It just seems like a stroke of luck that the Tardis has decided I'm worthy of you."

"I suppose the fact that you've been on my mind a great deal for a while has something to do with it," the Doctor mused, his brow furrowing slightly. "Though I think it's more to do with your empathy than anything else. Perhaps the Tardis has decided that I'm not competent to choose my own companions -- and has taken matters into her own hands."

"Her?" Ianto was amused at the way that the Doctor referred to his ship. "How do you know the Tardis is female? Or do you know something that I can't quite see yet?"

"My dear boy." The Doctor looked as though he was on the verge of bursting out into loud laughter, but was only just managing to hold the sound back. "I've been with the Tardis for a long time, you know. I'm just as bonded to the ship as I am to you -- and as you're now bonded to her. There isn't much that I don't know about her, if anything."

"I can't help wondering why I've been on your mind so much," Ianto said, changing the subject adroitly. He wasn't quite comfortable with talking about the vagaries of the ship that he was beginning to look at as almost an entity unto itself. He might say the wrong thing, make it angry in some way -- and then where would he be? It could even break the bond between himself and the Doctor, tell the Time Lord that he wasn't a worthy companion after all.

"Do you have to ask?" The Doctor's voice was soft but firm; there was no mistaking the sincerity in his every word. "I can't ever seem to get you out of my mind. Waking or sleeping, I've been thinking of you. I suppose that the Tardis picked up on that." He looked down then, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. "She could tell that I wanted you, in other words."

"I've not been able to take my mind off you since the moment we met," Ianto answered softly, tilting the Doctor's face up and holding that dark gaze with his own, raising one hand to stroke his fingertips through the softness of the other man's hair. "Some would say that I'm obsessed with you. But if that's the case, then it's an obsession I'll proudly admit to."

"Are you sure that this is what you want, Ianto?" The Doctor's voice was serious now, and Ianto realized that the Time Lord was giving him a chance to back away, to renounce all of this and go back to his life. But suddenly, that didn't seem like such an appealing prospect. Stepping into the unknown was frightening, but he couldn't let this man walk out of his life. He had the definite feeling that if he did, he would never see the Doctor again -- and a life without the Doctor, for him, would be no life at all.

"Yes." His own voice was as strong and firm as the Doctor's had been only a few moments before, his mind made up. Yes, he was frightened of the changes this would make in his life. Yes, a part of him was unsure. But an even bigger part knew that this was his destiny -- and there was no way for him to escape it.

"Good." The Doctor smiled, leaning forward to kiss him again before pulling away and heading for the console in the middle of the large central room of the Tardis. "Shall we go, then?"

"Now?" Ianto fought back the panic that threatened to engulf him at the idea. He'd thought he would have more time .... time to pack, to say goodbye to his friends and teammates, to explain .... No. How could he explain this?

"Ianto." The Doctor was watching him, dark eyes soft with compassion. "Jack knows. He was the only person who needed to know -- and he fully approves. According to him, we both need this. You don't need time to do anything. After all, time is something that we're going to have a great deal of, you know."

Ianto nodded, taking a deep breath. The Doctor was right. Staying here any longer than he had to would only make his mind start coming up with more reasons why he couldn't leave -- and he'd eventually talk himself out of what he wanted more than anything in the world.

Was Jack right when he'd said that Ianto was obsessed with Doctor? Was this really the right thing for him to do, or was he letting his desires take precedence over his better judgement? He'd tried to convince himself for days now that this was where the was meant to be, and as his bond with the Doctor -- and the Tardis -- had grown stronger, everything had only pointed to that conclusion over and over again.

So. This was it. He had to make the choice now, not sit and contemplate the pros and cons and allow himself to be indecisive. Maybe his feelings for the Doctor did border on obsession. Maybe he was crazy to think that this was where he'd always been destined to end up. But he couldn't ignore the bond that held him to the Doctor, and he wasn't going to deny himself the chance that he'd dreamed about for what seemed like a lifetime.

"I'm ready," he said with a nod, not looking towards the door. Only look to the future, he told himself. No backtracking. There's no reason to.

"Right, then." The Doctor reached out a hand to him; without hesitating, Ianto curled his fingers around the Time Lord's and let the other man draw him to the console, watching as the Time Lord pressed a few buttons. The sensation of time and space rearranging themselves was strange, but it was something he could get used to, given time.

There were a lot of things he'd have to get used to. But as the Doctor had said -- they had time. All the time they needed. All the time in the world.

***