Title: A New Morning
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 02, Dawn
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 stirred in Ianto's arms, casting a glance towards the window of their bedroom. The sky was starting to lighten, the dark of night chased away by the coming dawn.

He carefully wriggled out of Ianto's protective embrace, not wanting to wake his young lover when he got out of bed. It was rare these days that he was awake to see the dawn break over Cardiff, and it was a sight that he always enjoyed seeing when he had the chance.

Cardiff really was lovely at this time of day, he thought, making his way into the living room of Ianto's flat and heading for the large picture windows that overlooked the bay. There was something that appealed to him about watching the sun come up; it almost seemed as though he was the only being in the city.

He wasn't, of course; within a very short while, there would be cars moving about on the streets below, along with sleepy, yawning people coming out of their homes to start their day. No doubt there were already some people awake, watching the sun rise just as he was doing.

But for the moment, he could feel as though the magnificence of the rising sun was just for him.

Strange that the thought didn't make him feel lonely. Or was that only because he was so secure and content with Ianto? That was something he'd have to think about.

Maybe it was because he knew that Ianto was sleeping soundly only a few feet away from him, in this flat, safe and secure and .... his. That was a feeling he hadn't had in a very long time, that someone loved him and wanted to belong to him.

And it was a feeling that he didn't intend to let fade away. The longer that he was with Ianto, the more fiercely protective he was of the young man. Much more so than he'd been with Jack -- or, indeed, with any person who'd ever been in his life.

But then, Ianto was different from everyone else. Ianto was his soul mate, the man he'd been destined to be with since the moment of his birth. Odd, that, considering that he'd been born centuries ago, long before Ianto could even conceive of.

But it had happened, nonetheless. He'd found something with this young Welshman that he'd never thought he would have -- and he was determined to make it last.

It would last, he told himself. It had to. Even though Ianto was human, and that very humanity would mean an inevitable parting for them -- they would be together for the rest of his life. And afterwards? What the Doctor would do then remained to be seen.

He closed his eyes, pushing those morbid thoughts away from his mind. He let himself linger on them much too often; the important thing to focus on was that he had Ianto now, and he had to remember that and enjoy the life that he had at the moment, instead of worrying about the future.

There was no reason for him to stand here to watch the sunrise if he was going to close his eyes and brood about things he had no control over. The Doctor leaned against the window frame, looking out over the city as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

It was magnificent; light and color flooded his senses, the rays of the dawn casting pink and golden rays over the buildings all around him, glinting on the water of the bay close by them.

It was a pity that Ianto wasn't here to enjoy this with him, he thought, glancing back towards the bedroom where his young lover was still sleeping. But there was something almost .... spiritual about being able to witness all this by himself, as though it was happening just to impress him.

Besides, he thought with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, he and Ianto had the rest of their lives to see the sun come up. It wasn't as though he would never be able to share this with the man he loved; he'd had ample opportunity to do so in the future.

He was so focused on the glorious colors of the breaking dawn outside the window that he didn't hear Ianto come into the room behind him; he gasped when those strong arms slid around his waist and Ianto's voice whispered in his ear.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ianto said, nuzzling his cheek against the Doctor's. "I've spent many mornings just looking out at the sunrise. But this is the first time I've had someone to share it with me. Someone who could appreciate it in the way that I do."

"Yes, it is," the Doctor said softly, sighing in contentment and relaxing in Ianto's arms. "There's something quite humbling about watching a sunrise."

"It makes me feel that I'm a very small, insignificant part of the universe," Ianto said, his eyes on the rising sun as it cast its glowing rays across the panorama spread out before them. "And at the same time, I feel as though I'm one with the world."

"I was just thinking that we have the rest of our lives together to do this," the Doctor murmured, leaning back against his lover and nodding in agreement. "And that we've not done it often enough."

"We should make it a point to do this more often, then," Ianto told him, brushing his lips against the Doctor's jaw. "Sometimes I don't think we make enough time for doing things like this. Just being together and enjoying the world around us."

"Does anyone do that?" the Doctor inquired, twisting slightly in Ianto's arms to look up at his young lover with an inquiring expression on his face. "I don't think we're that different from most people in that regard. Everyone has a tendency to take sights like this for granted."

"They shouldn't," Ianto said quietly, his eyes still on the scene unfolding outside the window. "There could be a day when it's not there any longer."

The Doctor nodded somewhat reluctantly, hating to admit that he'd seen the future for Earth -- and that even though natural wonders like this still happened for some time into the future, he knew that the planet wouldn't always be endowed with such beauty as it was now.

"As sentimental as it sounds ...." he began, his voice hesitant, "-- I can almost feel that this is a sort of new beginning for us. Standing here watching the dawn together, making the resolution to do it more often. It's a bit of a personal dawning, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Ianto whispered, his warm breath caressing the Doctor's cheek. "And there's no one else I'd rather share it with. For the rest of our lives."

He didn't quite know what to say to that, so he didn't answer; he only raised his face to Ianto's, hoping that the other man could read what he was feeling in his eyes. He was sure that every one of the emotions he was feeling were clearly visible in his gaze.

Apparently it was, because Ianto didn't seem to need any words. All he needed to convey his feelings to the Doctor was a kiss -- a kiss that seared into his very soul and took the Time Lord's breath away.

The Doctor turned to face Ianto, his back to the dawning day outside the window, forgetting about everything else as he turned his full concentration on his lover's embrace. The glory of the sunrise faded from both their minds as Ianto closed the curtains, shutting them into a world of their own.

***