Title: Sweet At the Center
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, 50ficlets
Prompt: 44, Sweet
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 put the last of the dishes into the dishwasher in the kitchen of the Tardis, pressing the button to turn it on. It amused him in some ways that even though he was traveling through time and space, there were still mundane household tasks to be done.

Did the Doctor do this by himself when he didn't have a companion? Ianto thought to himself, his brow wrinkling. He shook his head, letting out a soft laugh. Well, of course he did. The Tardis obviously couldn't do it by herself.

It was hard to imagine his beloved Doctor doing something like washing dishes, or doing the laundry. But Ianto knew that he must have had to; after all, when he was alone here on the Tardis, there was no one else to take care of those things for him.

Could he reconcile the man he knew as an adventurer with the side of him that was more domestic? He would have to, Ianto thought, leaning against the counter that he'd just cleaned as he thought of the man who had become the center of his life.

He knew so many different facets of the Doctor. He'd seen the side of the Time Lord that was angry, implacable, demanding no quarter and giving none. He'd seen the Doctor go up against some fearsome enemies -- and win those battles.

The Time Lord wasn't thought of with fear and trepidation by some species for no reason. He wasn't a man to be toyed with, nor was he someone to be taken lightly once his ire was aroused. He could deliver justice swiftly and then walk away.

Yet he was a man who showed compassion and mercy when they were called for. Ianto had never seen the Doctor deliberately hurt anyone who didn't deserve it; he only reserved his fierce retribution for his enemies, never for anyone caught in the crossfire.

There was sweetness about the Doctor, a vulnerability that Ianto was sure hadn't been seen by very many people. The Doctor hid the sweet side of his nature, as though he was afraid to show that he had feelings that were easily bruised.

That sweet side of the Time Lord was something that Ianto was sure only he saw; of course, others must have seen it in the past, but he knew how closely the Doctor guarded himself against letting anyone in. Not many people would know that side of who he was.

Ianto wanted to preserve that sweetness; he would hate to see the Doctor turn away from that side of himself and hold it back. He appreciated the Time Lord's strength, but he appreciated the sweetness and gentleness that were also a part of his lover's personality.

He had to admit that there was something about the Doctor's darker side that was exciting. The way that the Time Lord could command a situation, his decisiveness when he'd made up his mind to do something -- they were qualities that Ianto admired.

But at the same time, there was an innate sweetness about the Doctor that Ianto treasured. He could feel that sweetness whenever they made love, when they were curled together in bliss afterwards, when the Doctor whispered loving words to him.

He could see that sweetness whenever the Doctor looked at him; there was always love in those dark eyes, the kind of love that Ianto had never seen in anyone's gaze before. That look still took his breath away, no matter how many times he saw it.

If the Doctor lost that, then he wouldn't be the same man that Ianto had fallen in love with. He wouldn't have that vulnerability -- and that look in his eyes might be gone forever. That was one thing that Ianto knew he couldn't bear to lose.

He'd fallen in love with the Doctor exactly the way he was -- the sweet side of him, and the darker side that was the flip side of the coin. Even when the Doctor tried to keep the sweetness at the center of who he was buried, Ianto would always know that it was there.

If they ran into trouble when they left the Tardis, he knew that he would see that darker side -- and he knew that a thrill would run through him any time the Doctor took a situation into his own hands, being the commanding, domineering man that Ianto had often seen him be.

But if there was no trouble, then he would see the sweet, gentle person who was also a large part of the enigmatic man he loved -- the side of him that was full of wonder at all the sights and experiences of the universe, the side that was almost childlike in its sweetness.

Ianto smiled to himself as he left the kitchen after taking a last look around. He was going to find the Doctor, and if he was lucky, the Time Lord would be in a mood to let that sweet side of himself take center stage. If not -- well, Ianto was sure that he could find a way to bring it out.

***