Title: In the Arms of Slumber
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, 50ficlets
Prompt: 9, Sleep
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.

***

The Doctor opened his eyes, yawning as he rolled over and snuggled into Ianto's arms. He'd gotten a good night's sleep and felt incredibly rested; that was something that hadn't happened on a regular basis before he'd been with Ianto.

He didn't need as much sleep as a human; that fact had never bothered him before. He'd always felt that he missed so much when he slept, and that the old human saying "I'll sleep when I'm dead" could very well apply to his way of thinking.

But since Ianto had come into his life, he found that he actually enjoyed sleeping. It was lovely to wake up next to the man he loved, to feel Ianto's body pressed close to his own, or to be cradled in his lover's arms.

With anyone else, even Jack, he might have felt that he was being patronized, and been a little annoyed at the fact that his lover seemed to feel a need to protect him. With Ianto, he merely enjoyed the feeling of being held and loved.

There was something so intimate about sharing a bed with a lover, he thought as he relaxed in Ianto's embrace. He'd never allowed himself to do this much in the past; he'd never felt comfortable with letting down his guard, even with a lover.

Of course, that was because most of his lovers in the past hadn't been people who were in his life for longer than a few days at most. He'd never let anyone get that close to him; he hadn't wanted to open his hearts and risk being hurt.

With Ianto, that had all changed. He knew that his lover wouldn't hurt him; he could trust Ianto with his life and, more importantly for him, with his hearts. This was one person who wouldn't walk away from him, who wouldn't decide that they had to leave.

The Doctor smiled as he felt Ianto's lips brush across his forehead, those strong arms tightening around his waist. "Did you sleep well, sweetheart?" his young lover asked, the mellifluous tones of his Welsh accent filling the still air of their bedroom.

"Yes, I did, actually," the Doctor said, his tone thoughtful. "You know, that's one of the most wonderful things about being with you, Ianto. I sleep much better than I ever have before -- I suppose it's because you help to chase away any bad dreams."

"You suffered from nightmares before you met me?" Ianto asked, sounding surprised. His tone turning thoughtful, he added, "I guess I don't wonder that you did. Some of the things you've seen and been through would give anyone nightmares."

"Sometimes I still do," the Doctor admitted with a sigh. "I've never needed much sleep, you know -- and having terrible dreams makes me even less inclined to sleep, even when my body needs it. But you've managed to make my dreams much better."

"I wish I could take away the nightmares permanently," Ianto told him, stroking his hair. "I would if I could, Doctor. I'd take away everything that's ever hurt or scared you. But I'm just a human. I don't have that kind of power."

"And even if you did, taking away all of that would change me too much," the Doctor told him, shaking his head. "As much as I wish I'd never seen some of the things I've witnessed, taking them away would make a fundamental change in who I am."

"That's something I'd never want to do," Ianto declared, pulling the Time Lord closer against the warmth of his body. "I love you exactly the way you are, Doctor. I don't want to change you -- unless it's a natural change that's meant to happen."

"As long as I stay in this body for a very long time and don't regenerate, then I'm happy," the Doctor told him with a soft sigh. "That's what the worst of the dreams are about lately. Myself regenerating, and you no longer wanting me."

"That isn't going to happen," Ianto told him, his voice taking on a fierce note. "You're not going to regenerate, and I'm not going to turn away from you. Those nightmares are just that, Doctor. Dreams. Bad dreams that won't come true."

"I know they're only dreams, Ianto," he murmured, closing his eyes and resting his head against his lover's chest. The heartbeat he heard there was comforting; he could let the strong resonance of Ianto's heart lull him back to sleep, away from these disturbing thoughts.

Sleep beckoned to him, wrapping its arms around him and drawing him into slumber. Before he drifted off into that land of dreams, the Doctor's last waking thought was that he hoped those nightmares would stay far away from him until he surfaced into wakefulness again.

***