Title: The Second Element
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, 50ficlets
Prompt: 47, Light & Dark
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.

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Ianto's eyes rested on the Doctor as the Time Lord bent over the Tardis' console, a slight frown on his features. The young Welshman knew better than to interrupt his lover when he looked like that; he didn't want to have his concentration broken.

He had no idea what might be causing the Doctor to study the console with such an intense expression on his face, but he was sure that he'd find out soon enough. One thing he'd learned about the Doctor was that he didn't keep things from his companions.

Of course, he was more than a companion, Ianto reminded himself. He was the Doctor's lover, which was something that other companions had never been able to call themselves. None of them had been the Time Lord's soul mate.

Well .... he almost sighed as the thought of Jack came into his mind. That was one person who could definitely call himself the Doctor's lover, though that relationship was far in the past.

That had been a dark time in the Doctor's life, or so the Time Lord had told him, Ianto thought, glancing over at the other man. Jack had been there for him, but the Doctor had known that their relationship wasn't going to last forever.

He'd told Ianto so many times that he'd always known he and Jack weren't fated to stay together -- but he hadn't thought for a moment that the man who he would eventually bond with would be human. That had come as a bolt from the blue for both of them.

Or had it really been such a surprise? A slight smile tugged at the corners of Ianto's mouth as he rested against the couch cushions, patiently waiting for the Doctor to join him. It might have been a shock to the Doctor, but it hadn't really been so for him.

He had known from the first moment he'd laid eyes on this man that he belonged to the Doctor. There had been no doubt in his mind, right from the first.

All it had taken was one touch, one glance, a few words. He'd never fallen for anyone else so quickly -- or so completely. He'd wanted to be with this man from their first meeting; he would have gladly thrown himself at the Doctor's feet if that was what he had to do.

He'd known about the Doctor's dark side from Jack, but he hadn't cared. Maybe that was part of what had drawn him in, part of what had so fascinated him about the Time Lord. That peculiar combination of light and dark that shone forth in equal amounts.

The lighter side was more prevalent, actually, Ianto mused, at least when the Doctor was around people. The darker side of who he was had a tendency to come out when they were alone, when the Doctor felt that he could unburden his soul to the person he was with.

Ianto was more than happy to be there for the Time Lord when he needed to talk. His lover had so many centuries of baggage, so much that he needed to pour out to someone who cared.

He was becoming used to both sides of the man he loved; the light and the dark seemed to meld into one most of the time for him. He accepted both sides of the Time Lord, loving the whole man, not just one part of what made him who he was.

Had anyone else ever loved the Doctor in the same way he did, accepting everything about him, even when it might seem a bit frightening or alien? Ianto frowned at the thought; he wasn't sure that he wanted to know the answer to that question.

He hated to think of anyone not loving the Doctor as he deserved to be loved, but he knew well enough that there were some things it was hard to get past about a person. And the fact that the Doctor was an alien made those things all the harder to overlook.

Well, maybe for some people, he told himself firmly. Not for him. He would always accept the Doctor in every possible way, with open arms and an open heart.

So his dark side might be disturbing when it was allowed to come out front and center. Given all that the Doctor had been through in his life, all the things he'd done and seen, Ianto had expected that. He had known that the Time Lord had a dark side, even before he'd met the man.

But somehow, he didn't find that dark side frightening. It was simply another side of the man he'd fallen head over heels in love with, the second element of the bright, sunny attitude that the Doctor usually evinced. It was part of the complete package, one side of the entire person.

After all, he told himself, he couldn't expect light to exist without darkness. Daylight didn't exist without night, and good didn't exist without evil. Everyone had both sides in them; he'd always known that. Both sides had to learn to coexist peacefully with each other.

Within the Doctor, they did -- though Ianto had seen the darkness overpower the light at times, and he had to admit that it could be a scary thing to behold.

It was no wonder the Doctor had been likened to a storm, Ianto thought, his eyes resting on his lover again. This man could be as peaceful as a bright summer's day -- or let loose all the tempestuous fury of a storm raging out of control.

Light and dark, he thought with a smile, sitting up and holding out his arms as the Time Lord turned around slowly to face him. He didn't know which one was going to come out next, but he knew that he would love either one, and be forever grateful that he had them both in one extraordinary man.

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