Title: Crystal Visions
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Table: 3
Prompt: 48, Thankful
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.

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Ianto opened his eyes slowly, blinking in the dimness around him. Where was he? This place didn't look familiar .... oh, right. He wasn't at home in his own flat; he was in the Tardis with the Doctor, traveling to some different time period. They'd spent the night in the Tardis, rather than finding a room somewhere.

It felt strangely comfortable to him -- but then, the Tardis always had, ever since the first time he'd left a rose and a note for the Doctor. Maybe that was because she knew how much he'd loved the Time Lord even then, and she'd approved of them being together. It certainly seemed that she had no problems with their relationship.

He'd never have been able to get past the doorway if she hadn't approved of him -- he realized that now. It hadn't occurred to him until recently that the Tardis was incredibly protective of the Doctor, and possibly even considered him hers in some ways. He couldn't blame her for that; he was protective of his lover, too.

He turned over, expecting to feel the Doctor beside him, surprised when he didn't. Had the Time Lord decided to do some exploring without him? Ianto's brows drew together in a frown; that was a good way for the Doctor to get himself into trouble that he might not be able to get out of. Not a good idea.

Throwing the covers aside, he swung his long legs out of bed, getting up and heading for the doorway. Wherever the Doctor was, he'd manage to track him down somehow -- but he hoped that the Time Lord hadn't left the ship. He was fairly sure that the Doctor wouldn't have gone out without waking him first, at any rate.

And what was more, he didn't fancy having to run outside like this, wearing nothing but pajama pants. It was a bit odd that he'd actually worn them to bed last night, but he'd been too exhausted to even think about sex.

Emerging from the corridor leading to the their bedroom into the main control room of the Tardis, Ianto breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Doctor sitting there, cross-legged on the floor, his chin propped in his hands. The Time Lord looked as if he'd been there for a while; Ianto wondered what he was thinking about.

He stood there for a few moments, letting his gaze take in the man he loved. He was wearing pajamas, too, a sign that he didn't intend to leave the Tardis and go out wandering anywhere. There was an expression of concentration on his face, as though he was trying to work through some knotty problem in his mind.

Why had he left their bed to come out here and be alone? Ianto knew that the Doctor's greatest fear was being alone, but maybe he'd felt that he needed time to himself now that Ianto was out here in time and space with him. Maybe the Time Lord was regretting bringing his lover along; maybe he wanted to take Ianto back home ....

The thought made his heart thump harder against the wall of his chest, a cold sweat breaking out over his body. No. The Doctor wouldn't think like that, he was sure of it. The Time Lord had considered every possibility about bringing him along, and had still decided to do so. He wouldn't change his mind this quickly.

They'd barely been here a day, and nothing had really happened. There had been no trouble -- for once -- and the Doctor was seemingly all right with Ianto being there. Nothing had happened to make things change drastically, at least not that he knew of.

Ianto made his way across the room to sink down onto the floor behind the Doctor, smiling when the Time Lord jumped slightly and turned wide eyes on him. The other man relaxed immediately when he saw who it was, leaning back against Ianto with what sounded like a contented sigh.

"What's on your mind, beloved?" he asked the Doctor, his voice soft and a little husky. His arms slid around the Doctor's thin waist, pulling the fragile Gallifreyan against his body, one hand reaching to twine his fingers with the Doctor's. He always felt closer to his lover when they were holding hands, for some odd reason.

"I was just thinking about how lonely I would feel if you weren't here with me," the Doctor replied, his voice just as soft as Ianto's had been. "How lucky I am to have you in my life, and what a mistake I made when I left in anger. That's a mistake I wish I'd never been stupid enough to make."

"Shhhh, don't think about that," Ianto soothed him, resting his cheek against the silken softness of the Doctor's hair. "That's in the past, and it won't happen again. Yes, it was a mistake, but we both learned from it. Don't keep torturing yourself about it, love. We all make mistakes in our lives. You're no exception."

The Doctor laughed ruefully, shaking his head. "I seem to be more adept at making mistakes than most people. It's one of my great failings. And if you tell anyone -- especially Jack -- that I admitted it, I'll deny it, you know."

Ianto couldn't help laughing himself, hugging the Doctor close against him. "I don't think that's quite true, my love. You usually admit your failings, when they show up. And you have the weight of the world on your shoulders at times -- so no one can blame you for making some mistakes along your way."

"Sometimes I wonder if I can handle this, Ianto." The Doctor let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes and resting his head against Ianto's shoulder. "I've been traveling the universe through time and space for so long, trying to prevent disasters .... I know I can do it, but there are times when I don't want to."

"I can't blame you for that. No one could," Ianto murmured, stroking the Doctor's hair and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "You shouldn't doubt yourself, Doctor. You're trying to do a lot on your own -- and even though it may be what you were born to do, I know that it can't be easy."

"It isn't -- at least, no always," the Doctor amended, opening his eyes and gazing up at Ianto. "But it's easier when I have you here with me, love. I don't feel so .... so alone. I wish I'd been bringing you along with me all the time -- then we would never have had that terrible fight, and ...." His voice trailed off on another sigh.

"Don't think about it any more." Ianto spoke softly, wishing that there was some way to bury what had happened in the past and never resurrect it again. "I'm here with you now, that's the important thing. And I'm not leaving."

"I'm more thankful for that than I can say," the Doctor murmured, relaxing back into his lover's arms. "That's one of the things I was thinking about -- how lucky I've been to find my soul mate, and how thankful I am that you feel the same about me as I do about you. If you didn't, I'd be .... a bit lost, I suppose."

"You'll never have to worry about that, beloved," Ianto told him, lowering his head and pressing gentle kisses along the Time Lord's throat. The Doctor sighed with pleasure, tilting his head back so that Ianto could reach his neck more easily. Ianto shifted himself a little, raising a hand to stroke the Time Lord's hair.

Was it his imagination, or did the Tardis' lights seem dimmer now, as though she was trying to create something of a romantic atmosphere for the two of them? This was hardly conducive to romance, sitting on the floor in the control room. But there was a couch along one wall, if they could make their way to it ....

Ianto couldn't help but laugh at the direction his thoughts were heading in. Really, he had to stop thinking about sex any time the Doctor was in his arms like this. Even when the Time Lord was fully clothed, just looking at him could take Ianto's mind on all kinds of interesting little tangents.

"I could never imagine myself feeling any differently about you," he told the Doctor, keeping his arms around the other man, closing his eyes and inhaling the warm scent of the Time Lord's skin. "I've loved you ever since that first glance, you know."

"I've loved you since ...." The Doctor drew a deep breath, his eyes searching out Ianto's again. "This will sound strange, but -- I've dreamed about you for years. For centuries. There was never a face put on that dream until I met you in the flesh, but I dreamed the feelings that exist between us."

"You dreamed about me?" Ianto was surprised by the Time Lord's words, but he didn't doubt them for a moment. One thing he had learned since he'd been with this man was that all things were possible. Some of the things he'd seen and experienced had shown him that impossible wasn't a word in his vocabulary.

"The day we met, it was as though every emotion -- as well as every physical sensation -- I'd experienced when I dreamed of the person who would be my soul mate was embodied in you," the Doctor said, his voice barely audible. "I know it sounds odd, but -- that was when I knew that you were the one, Ianto."

Ianto was more touched than he could put into words by the Doctor's admission. He'd apparently been a part of the Time Lord's life for much longer than he'd thought -- and he hadn't even known that the other man existed. He felt vaguely guilty for that, but he pushed the feeling aside. It was something he could think about later.

"I've known that I was the luckiest man in the universe from the day you chose me to be your lover," Ianto whispered, pressing his lips to the Time Lord's cheek. "Knowing that you loved me even before we met only reinforces that."

"I always had visions of my soul mate -- but I never expected to find anyone like you," the Doctor said softly, raising one hand to trail soft fingertips down Ianto's cheek. "It still seems incredible to me that I've found you. Sometimes I wondered if you really existed, or if I'd made you up out of my own imagination."

"As far as I know, I do exist," Ianto said, trying to lighten the moment a bit. He was a little choked, the idea that the Doctor had spent so much of his life alone before they had found each other making him feel as though he had to cry. "I'm not a figment of your imagination, Doctor. I can attest to that."

"There were so many times when I almost gave up on finding you," the Doctor told him, turning his head so that their lips were nearly touching. "I thought there couldn't possibly be anyone in the universe who could stay with me, who would want to give up everything in their life to be with me forever. I was wrong."

"As overly romantic as it may sound, I would follow you to the ends of the universe if I have to," Ianto murmured, bending his head to kiss the Time Lord. "And to the end of time, if that's what it takes to show you how much you mean to me. Whatever I have to do to prove that to you, I'll do it, Doctor. Whatever it takes."

"It doesn't sound overly romantic to me at all," the Doctor said, smiling and curling into Ianto's arms. "It sounds reassuring. I've gone through so many centuries thinking that I'd never find my soul mate, so hearing those words makes me feel .... safe, I suppose. Loved."

"You are loved," Ianto whispered, kissing the Doctor again and cutting off whatever the Time Lord meant to say in answer. By the time they both came up for air, the Doctor was panting slightly, and Ianto's breath was coming much more quickly than it had been. His thoughts were also heading off in the usual direction.

"Do you think this might be a good time to retire back to the bedroom?" Ianto asked, his voice sounding husky and thick with desire. "I don't think making love on the floor in here would be the most comfortable option at the moment."

"Why not? I believe the Tardis would like it." The Doctor looked up, laughing and starting to get to his feet. "Sorry, old girl. It's much more comfortable in a bad. Though if I can convince him to go at me on the floor sometime, I'm sure it will be a day for us all to remember."

"That day will probably happen in the near future," Ianto laughed, getting up and pulling the Doctor into his arms. "But not today!" He bent to hook his arm behind the Time Lord's knees, picking up his lover and carrying him back to the bedroom, both of them laughing -- the Tardis' lights dimming as if she was giggling along with them.

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