Title: Make It Special
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 25fluffyfics
Prompt: 15, Birthday
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.

***

"You know, I've always wondered when your birthday was," Ianto remarked to the Doctor as the two of them lay side by side in bed, wrapped in each other's arms. "It just occurred to me that I've never had any idea of just what the exact day is."

The Doctor laughed softly, shaking his head. "I'll be perfectly honest, Ianto -- I'm not sure of it myself," he admitted, sounding a little embarrassed. "Gallifreyans don't consider that day that a person is born to be of really special significance."

"Is that because Gallifreyans have such long lives?" Ianto asked, before stopping to think for a moment. "I know, that's a silly question. It's only Time Lords who can regenerate. Other Gallifreyans have more of a normal life span. You've already told me that."

"Well, the Gallifreyan race did have a longer life span than humans," the Doctor corrected him. "A little over two hundred years was the norm. But yes, you're right. Because of the Time Lords' regenerative ability, we didn't look at age and birthdates as being important."

"Did the people of your race who didn't become Time Lords think that birthdays were more important?" Ianto couldn't resist asking the question, though he wasn't sure if the Doctor could give him an answer. "I mean, since they couldn't regenerate."

"You know, I'm not sure," the Doctor mused, turning over onto his side and snuggling up close against his lover's body. "It's not something I ever really talked with anyone about. I was always too busy with my own interests. I .... regret that now, in a way."

"You shouldn't have regrets," Ianto said firmly, shaking his head. "The past is the past, Doctor. It's over and done, and regrets are only going to make you feel bad and drag you down. You have to accept the past, and look towards the future."

"You're right, love." The Doctor smiled, pressing a kiss against the small hollow at the base of Ianto's throat. "I have a long, happy future with you to look forward to. Looking back at the past isn't going to do either of us any good at all, now is it?"

"Of course it isn't," Ianto agreed with a smile of his own. "We don't need to look back at the past -- even though it is our pasts that go a long way towards making us the people we are," he added thoughtfully. "We certainly can't deny that."

"How did the conversation go from you wondering when my birthday is to talking about how the past has shaped us?" the Doctor said, laughing. "To answer your question, I don't know what day I would consider my birthday, Ianto. We'll just have to pick a day, I suppose."

"It's not for me to pick the day, Doctor," Ianto said softly, raising a hand to stroke his lover's cheek. "That should be your decision. You should choose the day that you want to celebrate your birth into this world. Not many people get to choose that day."

The Doctor frowned slightly, trying to fix upon one day that he could pick out of all the days in a calendar year, one day that would always be special to him. But there had been so many days that had meaning, so many days that he could choose from.

Ah. He had it. Why hadn't he thought of the day immediately? It made sense, after all -- though there were other days that could arguably be seen as being just as special, this particular day would always be one that resonated within his hearts and soul.

"I think it should be the day that my regenerations became inward, the day that I knew I wouldn't have to give up this body that we both love," he said softly, his gaze locking with Ianto's. "And it's the same day that you became immortal."

"Something occurred to me yesterday, when I first started thinking about this," Ianto said slowly, his words slow and measured. "Do you realise that the day all this happened was the anniversary of the day you first discovered that I was the one leaving you love notes?"

The Doctor's eyes widened; he hadn't had the slightest idea. His mind moved swiftly back over the weeks and months that he and Ianto had been together, his mouth opening slightly and his eyes widening even more as he realized that his lover was right.

"No, I hadn't known that," he murmured, feeling a little ashamed that he hadn't put the dates together. "I'm sorry, Ianto. I should have remembered such an important date in our personal history." He looked up at Ianto, a pleading expression in his eyes. "Forgive me?"

Ianto laughed softly, bowing his head to press a gentle kiss to the Time Lord's lips. "There's nothing to forgive, beloved," he whispered, his mouth moving to the Doctor's cheek, then to his ear. "And even if there were, you know that I'd forgive you anything."

"Do you think that the Master might have known that when he set all of this up with those dreams?" the Doctor asked, his brow wrinkling in a frown. "Is it possible that he could have deliberately made sure it would all come to a head on that particular day?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Ianto said, his voice dry. "He seems to know more about our personal history than he should -- and since he found a way into our subconscious minds, I doubt there's much that he doesn't know about our pasts at this point."

"Let's not talk about him," the Doctor said, sighing softly. "This was supposed to be more of a happy discussion than it's turned into, wasn't it? We should try to keep it that way. We can't let the Master keep intruding into our thoughts all the time."

Ianto nodded, agreeing with his lover. "If he does break into our thoughts all the time, or dominate them, then he's won. And that's something I won't let happen, Doctor. We've got at least a bit of an advantage over him now. We have to remember that."

"And we have to remember that he doesn't control our lives," the Doctor told him, stretching out his lean, lanky body next to Ianto's. The young man groaned softly, wrapping his arms around the Time Lord and pulling the other man into an embrace.

"The anniversary of the day you first found out that I loved you," he whispered, pressing kisses over the Doctor's face as though he would never stop. "The day that we first knew we were meant for each other, even if we didn't say it right away. A perfect day for your birthday."

"So doesn't that mean that we need to celebrate the day?" the Doctor asked, sounding a little breathless from Ianto's kisses. "It's past, of course, but that doesn't mean that I can't still have a bit of a belated birthday celebration, does it?"

Ianto couldn't help smiling at the hopeful tone of the Doctor's voice; apparently, his lover had never really had a birthday party thrown for him before. Not that it would be much of a party, just the two of them -- but he would try to make it as special as he could.

"What do you say that we start celebrating your birthday now?" he murmured, his voice husky. "We have some time to spend together -- alone -- or we could always go to a pleasure planet and see what we can find to do that. It sounds like a good idea to me."

"If I could have my way, we'd do both," the Doctor whispered, arching his back and pressing his slender body closer against Ianto's under the covers. "Some time alone, and a trip to a pleasure planet. That sounds like a wonderful birthday gift."

"Well, since this is the first birthday you've really celebrated, I'd say that we can do both things -- and maybe even manage to come up with a few more special ideas," Ianto told him, nipping teasingly at the Time Lord's earlobe. "I can think of several things I'd like to do."

"Then I think you might want to get started on them, since my birthday has already passed," the Doctor told him with a saucy smile. As he pulled the Doctor even closer for another heady kiss, Ianto was sure that he'd think of plenty of ways to celebrate the day before they even made it out of bed.

***