Title: Sleep It Off
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, 50episodes
Prompt: 18, Embarrassed
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.

***

"I don't know why I drank all of that champagne last night," the Doctor moaned, burying his head in the pillow and refusing to look up at Ianto. "I shouldn't have let myself get drunk. I've been in that state before, and it wasn't pleasant the other times, either."

"Getting drunk can be very pleasant," Ianto told him, trying not to laugh. "It's the hangover afterwards that's not fun." He almost felt sorry for the Time Lord, even though he did think that it was amusing to see his lover dealing with the aftereffects of too much drinking.

"I knew that it would turn out like this," the Doctor muttered, pulling the covers up to his chin. "Every time I've ever let myself get drunk in the past, this is what it's felt like the next morning. Why do I make up my mind to do such stupid things?"

"Because everyone has to let themselves go and have a little fun once in a while -- even if drinking might not be the best way to have fun," his lover told him, sitting up beside him in bed. "I told you to go a bit easier with the champagne, but you didn't listen."

"That's one of the things that can happen when I'm in a reckless mood and I have that little interstellar banking card with me," the Doctor told him, sighing heavily and burrowing down into the covers. "Wake me in another week or so, would you?"

"Oh, sweetheart, it can't be that bad -- can it?" Ianto said with a laugh, leaning over to kiss the Time Lord's forehead. The Doctor didn't look any the worse for wear -- at least not judging from what Ianto could actually see of him. Most of his face was hidden beneath the blanket.

"Yes, it can," the Doctor moaned, pulling the covers up even higher. "Don't look at me, Ianto. If I look as bad as I feel, you might be blinded by the sight. And I don't want you to see me like this. It's embarrassing to be caught in a hangover."

"It's not that embarrassing, Doctor," Ianto protested, still holding back the urge to laugh. "I've had people see me hung over quite a few times in the past -- and if they cared about me, it didn't make them love me any less. It won't make me stop loving you, either."

"No, but it may take away some of my self-resepct," the Doctor told him, his tone wry. "This is the last thing I expected you to see me doing, Ianto. I feel as though I've let you down by doing something utterly stupid and irresponsible. I hope you can forgive me for that."

"Of course I can, sweetheart," Ianto said softly, reaching out to stroke his fingers through the Time Lord's hair. "If you want to stay in bed for a while and sleep it off, I'll understand. Or I can just order us both some strong coffee. I definitely think you need it."

The Doctor groaned again, sinking under the covers until only the top of his head was showing. "I shouldn't have been so stupid," he said, his words muffled by the covers. "Did I do anything to attract attention while I was drunk? Please tell me I didn't."

Ianto was tempted to tell the Time Lord that he'd danced on a table with a lampshade on his head, but he decided against it. He couldn't be so cruel as to make his lover think he'd done something like that -- and besides, it wouldn't have been the truth.

Instead, he shook his head and smiled ruefully. "No, love, you didn't do anything like that. Well, you did trip up when we were getting into the elevator -- you more or less fell into it rather than walking in. And a lot of people smirked at that."

The Doctor groaned again, clutching the pillow over his head. Ianto couldn't hear what he was saying, but he was almost sure that the Time Lord was cursing himself. He almost wanted to laugh; it was getting harder to hold his giggles back.

When the Gallifreyan removed the pillow from his head, Ianto could finally get a good look at his face. He didn't think the Doctor looked so bad, even though he obviously felt horrible. How could someone who was battling a hangover look so incredibly beautiful?

"I'm too embarrassed to show my face in public," he moaned, sinking down under the covers again, though he was watching Ianto with a steady gaze. "We're never going to be able to come back to this particular planet again, are we?"

"Of course we are," Ianto said briskly, shaking his head at the Time Lord. "Everyone does silly things once in a while. Just because you happened to get a little tipsy and fall into the elevator in front of a crowd of people doesn't mean they'll remember it the next time we're here."

"Those people might not even be here the next time we are," the Doctor said, brightening at the thought. "But if they are, and they remember ...." His countenance clouded over again. "Why did I let myself get drunk?" he asked again, sighing.

"Because you needed to unwind a bit after all the stress and strain we've been through, and that was a good way to do it without hurting anyone or causing problems," Ianto told him, sitting down on the bed. "I don't think there's anything wrong with being drunk once in a while."

"I think the only person I hurt with this was myself," the Doctor said with a sigh, letting the covers fall and pushing himself up to a sitting position. "I feel horrible, Ianto. This is why Time Lords don't usually let themselves get drunk. Hangovers are disgusting."

"Yes, they are," Ianto said sympathetically, reaching out to brush the Doctor's unruly hair back from his face. "But we all have them once in a while -- unless we're teetotalers. And at least I was there with you, to stop you from doing anything more silly than tripping over your own feet."

The Doctor nodded, looking relieved. "Yes, if you hadn't been there and I'd let myself get drunk, I could have done something really foolish. I might even have ended up in bed with someone whose name I wouldn't remember in the morning -- or wouldn't even know at all."

Ianto was horrified at the thought; that sounded far too much like something Jack would do, and he didn't think that the Doctor was capable of being that promiscuous. "You wouldn't really have done that, would you?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound too anxious.

After a moment, the Doctor shook his head decisively. "No, I wouldn't. Maybe if I was in my much younger days, I might have considered it -- but I've never been one to give my body easily. I'm not like Jack, Ianto. I don't give myself away to strangers without a second thought."

Ianto let out a sigh of relief, smiling at his lover. "I know you don't, love. And I wasn't intimating that you would. People can do crazy things when they're drunk -- I've pulled some pretty stupid moves myself in that state. But everyone draws a line somewhere."

He didn't want to ask the Doctor about any indiscretions he might have committed while drunk when he was younger. Those had been different bodies -- they weren't who the Doctor was now. And anyway, the Time Lord would never do something like that now, drunk or not.

"I think it's time I called for some room service," he said, getting up and reaching for his robe. "I'll order us both some coffee, and then we can have a shower. After that, maybe your hangover will have dissipated enough for us to go out and enjoy the planet."

"What would I do without you, Ianto?" the Doctor asked softly, his lips curving into a smile. Ianto caught his breath at the expression on the Time Lord's face; he'd never seen such love written so strongly on anyone's features. And it was all for him.

"You'd stay here in bed all day, nursing a bad hangover," he told his lover with a grin. "But thanks to me being here, you won't waste all that time. We'll be up and about once we've both have coffee and some breakfast -- and a shower. I'm sure that'll make you feel better."

The Doctor nodded, sighing and throwing back the covers. Ianto went into the sitting room of the their suite to order room service, hoping that coffee and a shower would indeed make the Doctor feel better, and that they'd be able to spend the day seeing just what this pleasure planet had to offer.

***