Title: Heaven in Your Arms
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1, 10_prompts
Prompt: 9, Haven
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.

***

Ianto relaxed back against the pillows, one arm around the Doctor, holding the other man against his side. The Time Lord rested his head on his lover's shoulder, one slender arm wrapped around Ianto's waist as they luxuriated in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

Nothing had ever felt like this, Ianto thought to himself with an inward smile as he stretched out next to his lover, a sigh of contentment leaving his lips. The Doctor was the perfect mate for him; he'd never been happier in his life than he was with this man.

Was the Doctor just as happy with him? Ianto bit his lip, a sudden doubt assailing him. He couldn't help wondering at times if he lived up to Jack, if he was all that the Doctor wanted and needed. The immortal was admittedly a hard act to follow.

The Doctor assured him time and time again that their union was everything he'd wanted, that they were perfectly matched. But Ianto still couldn't help feeling that sometimes he fell short of being everything that the Time Lord needed in a mate.

He shouldn't have those kinds of doubts about their relationship, Ianto admonished himself, feeling a bit guilty. He was the Doctor's soul mate; the Time Lord had told him more times than he could count that they were meant to be together.

But there were times when it was hard to believe in himself. He felt too often that he let the Doctor down, that he could be more than he was and that he didn't rise to the challenges that were thrown at him. It wasn't easy to put those doubts out of his mind.

"You shouldn't think like that," the Doctor said softly, his words surprising Ianto. The young man looked down at his lover, his blue-grey eyes widening. The Time Lord had done it again -- reading his mind without Ianto realizing he'd done it.

"I don't mean to pry into your thoughts, love," the Doctor told him in an apologetic voice, raising his head to meet Ianto's gaze. "But your thoughts were so loud and clear, I couldn't help but hear them. And our bond makes it easier for me to do that."

"It's just hard for me to feel that I'm always everything you need," Ianto murmured, feeling ashamed that the Doctor had caught him thinking so negatively. "I want to be everything to you, Doctor. And I know that I'm only human. I can't be all that I want to be."

The Doctor shook his head, sighing softly. "Ianto, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want you to be anything more than who you are? I fell in love with you just as you are. I don't need you to be more than that. I wouldn't want you to change yourself for me."

"But you need more than a mere human can be," Ianto protested, not wanting to continue in the vein of conversation but knowing that he had to get these worries out into the open. "I can't be everything that you need, Doctor, no matter how hard I try."

The Time Lord sighed again, propping himself up on one elbow and reaching out a hand to cup Ianto's cheek. "Ianto, you can't read my mind. You don't know all that you are to me. You couldn't. I don't think I've ever been able to express to you exactly what you are in my life."

Ianto was silent as the Doctor went on, his voice soft but strong and impassioned. "You're so much more to me than just a companion, Ianto. More than a lover. More than anyone has ever been. You're my soul mate. The one I was meant to be with from the moment I was born."

The Doctor had said that before, but the words still sent a thrill through Ianto. To think that he, of all the people in the universe, was the one that the Doctor had chosen to bond with, to be his soul mate through eternity, could still render him speechless.

"You're not only my soul mate, either," the Doctor continued, his voice growing softer with the words. "You're my haven, Ianto. You're the one I want to be able to go to when I need comfort. You're the other half of my soul, the part of me that doesn't have to be strong all the time."

Ianto swallowed back the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat; he had to blink to hold back tears. He hadn't realized that the Doctor saw him in such a way; he'd never considered that he could be a haven for the Time Lord in an uncertain world.

"I'll always be your haven, Doctor," he whispered, unable to say anything else. He had so many words inside him that wanted to come out, but for some reason, none of them were coming to his lips. They were bottled up, unable to express themselves.

"I know you will, sweetheart," the Doctor answered, his smile a little misty as he, too, blinked back tears. "It's not always easy for me to be strong, Ianto. There are times when I need to have a haven to run to, a place where I can feel safe."

Ianto's arms wrapped around the Doctor, pulling the Time Lord close against him, words failing him. He had known that he meant a great deal to this man, but he'd never realized that the Doctor depended on him to be the sort of shelter he'd lacked before.

He'd never been a haven for anyone before. He'd been a companion, a lover, someone to have fun with, but he'd never had anyone depend on him to give them a safe place to keep the world at bay. He'd never been the rock in anyone's life.

"I always felt a little jealous of people who had found their life mates," the Doctor murmured, resting his head against Ianto's shoulder and closing his eyes. "I never thought I'd find that kind of heaven in my own life. But all that changed the moment you first kissed me."

"The first time I kissed you, I knew that I wanted to be with you for all eternity," Ianto told him, raising a hand to brush a few errant strands of hair back from the Doctor's face. "Maybe even from the first second I laid eyes on you. I think I knew even then."

"I've found that heaven in your arms, Ianto," the Doctor said, his voice quiet, but carrying a strength and conviction that couldn't be denied. "I've found that safe haven that I've always looked for. You're the only person who's ever been able to give that to me."

"That haven will always be here for you, Doctor," Ianto whispered, feeling his throat tighten again. He'd never expected to have someone look at him in this way; he'd never thought that his embrace could be a haven that someone depended on.

Much less a person like the Doctor. It was a responsibility, to provide the safe haven that such a strong, capable man needed in his life. But Ianto was sure that he could rise to the challenge -- and he was going to try his best to be everything that his lover needed.

Shifting his position slightly, he rolled over until the Doctor was under him, smiling down at the Time Lord. Bending his head to capture the other man's lips with his own, Ianto was soon lost in a world where only he and the Doctor existed -- a world where each of them was a haven for the other.

***