Title: Some Dreams Come True
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 5, sound_of_drums
Prompt: 39, Twice Blessed
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 stood at the console of the Tardis, looking down at the various buttons and gauges without really seeing them. He was thinking of Ianto, reveling in the knowledge that his young lover was here on the ship with him.

Ianto wasn't far away; he was, in fact, just down the corridor in the bedroom that they now shared. He wasn't millions of eons away on Earth, looking up into the sky and wondering just where the Doctor was. He was here; they were together.

He wasn't going to take that nearness for granted. How many nights had he been here in the Tardis, wishing that he was back on Earth in Ianto's arms? That was never going to happen again. Ianto was with him for good; he wasn't going back.

He'd been unsure about that decision at first, but it had been Ianto's choice to make. He'd wanted to be here; he'd wanted to leave Earth, to make the Tardis his home just as the Doctor did. He hadn't been pushed into it in any way.

In fact, he'd been emphatic about wanting to turn his back on the life he'd led before. He didn't want to be a part of Torchwood, and his relationship with his family -- other than his sister -- was, at this point, nearly non-existent.

There was only his mother and sister who even spoke to him now; his father and brother had turned their backs on him long ago.

It broke the Doctor's heart to see the way that Ianto's family -- at least the majority of it -- treated him. Why couldn't they accept him as he was -- strong, smart, brave .... and gay? It didn't make sense to the Time Lord.

Of course, he understood that complete acceptance of different sexual orientations was still quite a long way off for humans. It would happen in the future -- but Ianto didn't live in the future. He needed that acceptance here and now.

Especially by his family. The Doctor sighed, closing his eyes and wishing that there was something he could do to facilitate that acceptance; if only fairy tales came true, and he could wave a magic wand and make Ianto's family accept him for who he was.

But that wasn't going to happen. He knew that all too well. He might be able to do many things that humans would see as almost magical, but this was something far out of his reach. Ianto would have to find his own way of coping with it.

At least he did have the satisfaction of knowing that he made Ianto happy, and that the young man had chosen to be with him. He hadn't forced Ianto into this; he was here of his own free will. His acceptance of the Doctor and the life that he lived was complete, unconditional.

Without Ianto, he would be lost. He'd been lost for all these years, the time that he'd spent merely wandering around the universe without any sort of anchor in his life.

Ianto had given him that anchor. He'd taken the Doctor into his arms, into his heart, given him the security that he'd always wanted and had been afraid to admit that he needed. He'd become not only the Doctor's lover, but his lifeline.

And now that they'd left Earth behind, making their home here, he couldn't help but wonder if Ianto might regret the choices he'd made. That was a question that he was hesitant to ask; he wasn't sure at all that he wanted to hear the answer.

How did Ianto feel about being here, about leaving his home, his friends and family, everything that he'd ever known and held dear? He'd given all of that up for his relationship with the Doctor, and the Time Lord wasn't at all sure that he was enouigh to make Ianto happy.

He should ask; he knew that, but he was so afraid to hear Ianto's answer. What if his young lover told him that he wasn't happy, that he had regrets? What would that feel like? What would he do to correct it?

The Doctor knew the answer, of course. He would take Ianto back to Earth, back to the life that he'd had before the two of them had come together. It would be like ripping both of his hearts out with his bare hands, but he would do it.

He would do anything to ensure Ianto's happiness -- even if it meant sacrificing his own. He loved Ianto too much to do anything else.

He was startled when he felt Ianto's arms slide around his waist; he hadn't expected the young man to come into the control room. He'd been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even been aware of Ianto's presence.

"What are you thinking about, love?" Ianto asked him, nuzzling his cheek against the Doctor's hair. The Time Lord closed his eyes, leaning back into his lover's embrace, breathing in the scent of Ianto's aftershave and trying to think of something to say.

"I was wondering how you feel about being here," he blurted out before he could stop himself. This wasn't how he'd wanted to bring up the subject, but it was out now, whether he liked it or not. He stiffened in Ianto's arms, almost dreading what he would hear.

Ianto seemed to consider his answer for a few moments, oblivious to the fact that the Doctor was holding his breath, waiting for those fateful words. Was this the turning point in their relationship, the point where they began to draw away from each other?

"I'm exactly where I want to be," Ianto finally said, his voice soft in the Doctor's ear. "I'm with the man I love, and there's nowhere else I want to spend my life. It doesn't matter to me where I am, Doctor -- as long as I'm with you."

He almost sagged into Ianto's arms, relief washing over him. Ianto didn't want to go back to the life he'd had before; he wanted to stay here. He wanted them to be together.

It was what he'd expected, really. Hadn't he known that Ianto loved him, that he'd given up the life he'd left behind on Earth of his own free will? But that little nagging doubt had been there, that feeling that Ianto might only be doing this because it was what the Doctor wanted.

Now, he had confirmation that Ianto was with him because he wanted to be. His hearts had always known that, but his mind had a hard time processing that thought. Maybe because no one else had wanted to stay with him.

"Did you think that I wouldn't want to be here?" Ianto's tone was puzzled, as though he couldn't quite believe the Doctor would have thought that. "Doctor, I'm a lucky man. I've been twice blessed -- first by having the life I had on Earth, and now by being with you."

"I was afraid that you'd feel you had lost too much -- that you'd given up a life you were used to and comfortable with," the Doctor murmured, feeling a little ashamed that he could have entertained those thoughts. "That I couldn't be enough for you."

Ianto shook his head, turning the Doctor around to face him. Those blue-grey eyes met his own, holding his gaze and refusing to turn away. It was as if he was looking into Ianto's soul, the young man's emotions laid bare before him.

"You're the greatest blessing of my life," Ianto whispered. "Without you, nothing in my life would mean anything. Being with you is my life, Doctor. It always will be."

"I never thought I would be blessed with anyone like you," the Doctor answered, his voice shaky, his throat tightening as he spoke. "I'd given up on finding anyone who would give up everything to be with me -- but you've made me realize that some dreams do come true."

"It depends on what you dream," Ianto answered with a smile, pulling the Doctor closer to him and pressing a gentle kiss to the Time Lord's lips. "Does this mean that I'm your Prince Charming? Or rather, your knight in shining armour?"

"I think so," the Doctor said, the lump in his throat dissipating as he laughed along with Ianto. "Though I don't think you've had a chance to rescue me from the clutches of the evil tyrant yet. But it might come up at some later date."

"Whatever happens, I'll be here with you," Ianto said softly, kissing him again, his words sweeter than anything the Time Lord had ever heard. That was all the reassurance he needed -- no matter what the future might bring.

***