Title: Into the Unknown
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4
Prompt: 11, Cold
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 shivered as he looked out of the window of Ianto's flat in Cardiff, not really seeing the panorama of lights spread out before him. It was a pretty sight; the sparkling lights, the knowledge that the city was alive and flourishing. But he couldn't focus on that.

He'd have to leave all of this soon, and though he wanted to take Ianto with him, he was still terrified of doing so. The few times that they'd left the safety of Cardiff in the past few weeks, everything had gone well. But he couldn't expect to be so lucky forever.

Sooner or later, his luck would run out, and he would be placed in a situation that he might not be able to escape from. And he didn't want to put Ianto in the middle of that.

Of course, Ianto had taken on that risk when they'd become lovers; the young Welshman wouldn't turn away from any sort of danger that their life together might throw him into the path of. But did he have the right to thrust Ianto into that sort of danger?

To his way of thinking, he didn't. It was all very well that Ianto was willing to place himself in that position -- but the Doctor also had to be willing to accept that fact. And he wasn't. He would never willingly accept the possibility of losing his lover.

All right, so that was a silly attitude for him to take, he told himself, sighing and resting his head against the glass. He couldn't keep Ianto out of danger -- he faced that every day with Torchwood. But he didn't have to deliberately place the man he loved into situations that could be potentially harmful.

He shivered again, wrapping his arms around himself. In spite of the warmth of the heating in the flat, he felt cold, chilled to the bone. The bleakness of his thoughts chased away all thought of warmth and comfort.

The Doctor closed his eyes, contemplating just what Ianto would say if he knew of his lover's fears. He'd try to ease them, of course, with soft words and persuasion. And maybe he'd be right. But all the persuasions in the word wouldn't make him feel at ease about putting Ianto's life at risk.

What was he going to do if something happened to his lover? He didn't want to contemplate it -- but it was something he thought about more and more, now that Ianto was coming along with him whenever he left Earth. He loved having Ianto there, but he couldn't help worrying that something would happen.

There was so much that he couldn't control when he was out there amongst the stars -- so many things that could change in the blink of an eye, so many variables to his life. It didn't seem fair to put Ianto into the middle of them, to risk the young man's life along with his own.

Of course, it didn't always come down to that -- but he was a magnet for trouble. No matter where he went or what his intentions were, it seemed to find him. And he certainly didn't want to taint Ianto with that. No, Ianto was the part of his life that he wanted to keep .... pure. Tranquil. Safe.

He didn't hear Ianto come into the room; when the younger man's arms slid around him from behind, he jumped, uttering a startled exclamation.

"Sorry, love," Ianto apologized, resting his chin on the Doctor's shoulder. "I didn't mean to frighten you -- but you looked so melancholy standing here alone looking out of the window. Is something on your mind that I might be able to help with?"

The Doctor raised a hand to lay it over Ianto's, sighing as he did so. "There's quite a lot on my mind -- but I don't know if it's anythin that you can help with," he said softly, wishing that he knew how to explain what he was feeling. "I wish you could."

"You're worried about having to leave again, aren't you?" Ianto's words were soft, his voice low and husky. "Don't look surprised, Doctor. I can tell when you're thinking about that. You get this anxious look on your face, and you're more tense than usual. I've learned how to spot the signs."

"Am I that predictable?" The Doctor laughed a little ruefully, shaking his head. "I suppose I am, considering how well you know me. I shouldn't be surprised."

"No, not predictable. But it's easy for me to tell when you're agitated about something because of the bond we share," Ianto said, one hand moving to the softly glowing pendant around his neck. "This may sound strange, but I think it gets stronger all the time."

"You're right, it does." The Doctor closed his eyes, letting himself lean back against Ianto and trying to let the tension seep out of him. "That's the nature of our bond, Ianto. It's only going to deepen and strengthen as time passes. I think that's to be expected."

"Yes, that's true in any relationship. But I don't think of the two of us as just any relationship," Ianto told him, smiling. "You have to admit, we're a rather special case."

"Yes, we are." He certainly couldn't argue with that. Ever since they'd first met, everything about his attraction to Ianto, and their subsequent discovery of each other, had seemed charmed. But maybe that was only because he'd wanted to see things in that light ....

The Doctor shivered again, feeling goosebumps rise on his arms in spite of the warmth of the flat. Was it only his apprehension making him feel this way, or was it some kind of sixth sense, some premonition that was trying to tell him to beware of what was to come?

Ianto frowned, wrapping his arms more tightly around the Time Lord. "You're shaking -- are you sure you're feeling all right? I hope you're not getting ill."

The Doctor shook his head, swallowing hard and searching his mind for a way to tell Ianto how he was feeling without unduly alarming his lover. "I .... I suppose it's nerves. Worry about the future. Worry about what could happen."

"Nothing's going to happen." Ianto's voice was firm, calm, soothing. "You're worrying too much, Doctor. I know you can't keep yourself from doing that sometimes -- but please, try to remember that I'm not exactly incapable of taking care of myself if we should get into a bad situation."

"I know you aren't," the Doctor sighed, closing his eyes and cursing himself inwardly for not being able to keep his worries from Ianto. "I just .... feel as though I don't have the right to throw you out there into some kind of danger you might not be able to handle."

"You're not throwing me into anything. I'm coming with you of my own free will, remember?" Ianto's voice still had that firm strength to it, that tone that made the Doctor want to relax into his arms and forget all of his worries. "I thought we'd discussed this."

"Of course we have. I just ...." The Doctor's protests drifted off into nothingness; he couldn't think of any words to describe the feeling of apprehension that had been slowly creeping over him.

"You just can't help worrying. I know how that is," Ianto said softly, threading his fingers through the Doctor's soft hair. "I worry about any time you're out there alone. That kind of worry can go two ways, you know. I suffer from it as much as you do."

"I won't be alone this time," the Doctor whispered, turning around in Ianto's embrace, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against his young lover's shoulder. "I'll have you with me to watch out for me. That's what a companion is for."

"Not just a companion," Ianto told him, placing a finger under his chin and tilting his face upwards until they were gazing into each other's eyes. "A lover. A soul mate."

"One that I want to be with for the rest of my life. Lives. Forever." He closed his eyes again, sliding his arms around Ianto's waist and leaning against the other man. "You know what I mean. I've said it often enough -- though I'll never get tired of saying it."

"And I'll never get tired of hearing it," Ianto replied, one hand moving soothingly down the Doctor's back. "Now, what do you say we get some rest before we have to leave? I don't think it would do either of us much good not to be well-rested before we head off into .... who-knows-what."

"That's a very good idea," the Time Lord agreed, lifting his head from Ianto's shoulder. "All this worry is making me feel tired -- and you're right, it's not exactly a good idea to rush off into the unknown when I'm not feeling my best."

"Then come to bed, love." Ianto moved back a few steps, catching the Time Lord's hand and pulling his lover along behind him. "Though I don't know that we'll be doing much sleeping."

"I'm sure we won't." The Doctor shook his head, laughing softly as he followed Ianto down the hallway to their bedroom. It really didn't matter that they might not get much sleep, he told himself, holding back a smile. He was sure that he'd end up feeling refreshed in the morning, regardless.

Suddenly, the flat -- and the world -- seemed much less cold to him.

***