Title: The Best Part
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 25fluffyfics
Prompt: 12, Hurt
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.

***

"What's the matter, love?" Ianto asked the Doctor, coming to stand behind the Time Lord as he studied the large viewscreen. "You've been quiet all morning -- that makes me think that you've got something on your mind that I might want to know about."

"I've just been thinking about all that the two of us have been through since we've been together," the Doctor murmured, leaning back into his boyfriend's embrace with a sigh as Ianto's arms slipped around his waist. "It doesn't seem possible that two people could have weathered all that we have."

Ianto nodded, contemplating the Doctor's words. His lover was right; in the time that they'd been with each other, they had both dealt with some situations that he would have never thought anyone could be faced with. And yet, they'd passed through each one.

Of course, they hadn't been unscathed. They both had marks from some of those situations, both physical and emotional. And there were times that they would never forget, things from the past that could still give them both nightmares.

Still, all in all, they'd both managed to survive. And they had grown closer for everything that they'd been through, their relationship stronger and more committed. Not many people could say that; usually, hard times destroyed a relationship rather than making it more united.

But he and the Doctor weren't like most people, Ianto thought with an inward smile. Their relationship was stronger than any he'd ever seen before. They might be hurt time and time again, but they would always move past that hurt and renew their bond.

How many times had either of them been physically hurt, and the other had been obliged to take care of him? He didn't want to think about all of those times; he hated to think of his lover being hurt in any way, even though he knew that it was bound to happen.

At least he'd managed to never cause the Time Lord any emotional pain in the time they'd been with each other. It seemed that everyone else in the other man's life had almost gone out of their way to bring him that kind of pain, even if they'd regretted doing so.

Hopefully, all of the hurt either of them had suffered in the past was over. Whether that was pain that had been inflicted on them by others since they'd been together, or pain that had been caused in the past before their relationship, didn't matter now.

"We've both been through so much," he said softly, kissing the Doctor's cheek and tightening his arms slightly around his boyfriend's waist. "Especially you. But then, you've lived a lot longer than I have, Doctor. And pain is, unfortunately, a part of life."

"There've been times when I was glad of feeling pain," the Doctor said softly, his eyes still on the screen, fixed on the planet that seemed to be suspended there in the center of it. "At least when you can feel pain, you know that you're alive."

Ianto nodded slowly, sighing softly. "I've felt that way before," he admitted, closing his eyes and letting his mind wander back over the times when he'd dealt with just what the Doctor was describing. "When you're feeling pain, you know that there's hope for you to get up and keep going."

"That's what I've always told myself," the Doctor said, his sigh mirroring Ianto's. "And you're right -- pain is a part of life, all the varieties of it. Without pain, you couldn't have joy. But I have to wonder which of those kinds of pain is the worst one to feel."

"None of them are pleasant, if you ask me," Ianto said with a shrug. "I don't know which one I'd say is the worst. Physical pain can be bad .... but emotional pain, especially if it's coming from someone you love, can be the most devastating thing to ever feel."

"I think you're right about that," the Doctor agreed, a slight shudder going through his thin body. "We've both had to deal with that often enough, haven't we?" He closed his eyes, leaning more heavily against Ianto, obviously thinking about the past.

"I'll never put you through that sort of pain. You know that, don't you?" Ianto asked anxiously, hoping that this morbid train of thought wasn't something that the Doctor was thinking would happen in their future. "I would never hurt you like that, love. Never. I'd die first."

"I know, sweetherart. And you know that I'd never hurt you, either." The Doctor turned in Ianto's embrace, facing his young lover and draping his arms around the other man's shoulders. "We've both dealt with enough of that in the past to inflict it on each other."

Ianto leaned forward to brush his lips gently against the Time Lord's, murmuring as he did so. "We might both have been forced to do that in the past, but hopefully, that's not going to happen again." He couldn't suppress a shudder as a memory of the Master loomed large in his mind.

But that was over and done with, he reminded himself firmly, pushing the memory back and slamming a mental door on it. He didn't need to remember it; he and the Doctor were going to be much more cautious from now on, and not fall into that sort of trap again.

The Doctor sighed, resting his forehead against Ianto's shoulder and speaking softly. "I know, love, and that's one of the great regrets I have. I should have been able to protect you from him much better than I did at the time. It won't happen again, I promise."

"We can't make each other those kinds of promises," Ianto told him, his voice soft. "All that we can do is try to keep each other safe. Don't promise anything, Doctor. I don't want you to feel guilty if something happens again that's beyond our control."

The Time Lord nodded, his expression sober. "I suppose you're right, Ianto," he admitted, though he looked as though he didn't like saying the words. "We can't make promises about that sort of thing. But you know that I'll do anything in my power to keep you safe."

"I haven't done such a good job of keeping you safe since we've been together," Ianto told him, raising a hand to smooth back a lock of unruly hair that had fallen into the Doctor's eyes. "But I've tried, Doctor. And I'll keep doing my best, as long as there's breath left in my body."

The Doctor raised his hands to Ianto's face, stroking gentle fingertips over his boyfriend's soft skin and gazing into his eyes. "I know you will, love. And I'll do the same for you. Whatever hurts you hurt me too, Ianto. You're a part of me -- the best part."

"I wouldn't call it the best," Ianto laughed, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. "I think you're far superior to anything I could ever hope to be, Doctor. But I try every day of my life to be worthy of you -- and there are times when I even think I succeed in doing that."

"You do," the Doctor whispered, the sincerity in his voice unmistakable. "You succeed every day. There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think of how lucky I am to have you in my life, and how grateful I am that we've found each other."

"No matter what hurt might come to me, I'll welcome it, if taking that hurt to myself means protecting you from any pain," Ianto whispered, the words coming out of nowhere. "You're part of my heart and soul, Doctor. I'd do anything to protect you from any kind of hurt."

"I know you would," the Doctor replied, raising a hand to stroke his fingers through Ianto's hair. "And I'd do the same for you. We're part of each other, my love, for all of eternity. I knew from the moment we met that I'd found the other half of my soul."

Ianto was so moved that he coudn't speak; the Doctor had said those words before, but the tone in which they were spoken at this moment made his heart overflow. All he could do was pull his lover close against him, holding the Doctor as close to his heart as he possibly could.

Nothing was ever going to hurt the Doctor again, Ianto swore to himself, tightening his arms around the Time Lord and wishing that he never had to let go. Somehow, he was going to make sure of that -- no matter what sacrifices he might have to make for those words to be true.

***