Title: When I See You Smile
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ross Jenkins
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4, 50ficlets
Prompt: 43, Smile
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Ross Jenkins, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"It's nice to come to a place where we don't have to worry about seeing death and destruction, isn't it?" the Doctor asked Ross as he rested his head in his young lover's lap. "I think we saw more than enough of that in the first few weeks you were with me."

Ross nodded, silently agreeing with the Time Lord. "I saw enough of that when I was a solider to never want to have to face it again," he said quietly, running a gentle hand through the Doctor's hair. "But I know that we'll inevitably have to see it sometimes."

"Of course we will," the Doctor told him, looking up at Ross and raising a hand to caress his boyfriend's cheek. "But let's not think about that now. We have this beautiful place all to ourselves, and we'll be here for a few more days. So let's enjoy it while we can."

He flashed Ross a smile, that smile that made the young man's heart turn somersaults in his chest, that smile that he was sure would convince anyone to follow the Time Lord anywhere. The smile that Ross wanted to believe was meant only for him.

That smile had taken his breath away the first time he'd seen it -- and he was sure that seeing the Time Lord flash that look at him would always do so. Even now, he could feel his heart thumping, pounding, speeding up to a galloping rhythm.

Ross couldn't quite put his finger on why the Doctor's smile took his breath away; it was enough for him that it did. Just seeing that smile could lift his spirits, brighten his day, and make him feel that anything he wanted to do was possible.

When he saw the Doctor smile, it was as though every care and worry that he could ever possibly have ceased to matter. Nothing was real for him except that smile, and the emotions that he carried in his heart for the Time Lord.

Emotions that he knew were returned. There was no doubt in his mind that the Doctor loved him; he only had to see that beautiful smile, and the sincerity behind it, to be sure of what the other man was feeling. He would never question the Doctor's love for him.

But that smile was something that he hadn't seen much of -- at least, not until they'd come to this place. There was something about a pleasure planet that could make anyone feel that the rest of the world was far away, and everything was at peace.

Of course, that wasn't true. He and the Doctor would have to deal with much more turmoil in their lives; Ross knew that the Time Lord wasn't the kind of man who would turn his back on any situation that he felt needed to be jumped into.

Did any of that really matter? Ross couldn't hold back his own smile at the thought. No, it didn't. Not as long as he could still see that beautiful smile, and know that he was the man who it was intended for. Not as long as he had the Doctor in his arms and in his heart.

"What are you smiling at?" the Doctor asked softly, bringing Ross back to the present -- and the fact that the Time Lord was lying sprawled out on the grass next to him, his head in Ross' lap, his lips parted invitingly, as though he was waiting to be kissed.

"I'm smiling at my thoughts," Ross told him, stroking the Doctor's hair back from his face. "I'm smiling about us, and the fact that I love your smile. I guess that seeing you smile makes me smile back. I can't help it."

The Doctor sat up slowly, taking Ross' face between his hands, then leaning forward and pressing his lips against the young man's. Ross slid his arms around the Doctor's waist, returning the kiss, not caring who could see them.

What did other people's opinions matter? As long as he had this man in his life, Ross couldn't care less what anyone outside of the charmed circle that only included the two of them might think. And as long as he could see that smile every day of his life, he would be happy.

"I love it when you smile at me," the Doctor whispered, his lips almost brushing against Ross' mouth as he spoke. "When I see you smile, it's like the whole world opens up in front of me, and shows me every possibility that's just waiting for us in the future."

Ross couldn't speak for a moment; the Time Lord's words had caused a lump to rise in his throat. When he could form words, they were barely audible, meant for his lover's ears alone. "And when I see you smile, I see everything I've ever wanted or needed. I see .... love."

The Doctor smiled again when Ross said those words, and the young man's breath caught in his throat. He leaned forward to place his lips on the Doctor's again, pulling the other man into his arms, the image of that smile held close against his heart.

***