Title: Nothing As It Seems
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: lover100
Prompt: 2, Writer's Choice -- Perfect
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.

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The Doctor propped himself up on one elbow, frowning into the dimly lit bedroom on the Tardis. Ianto was sleeping beside him, and he didn't want to wake his lover, but he couldn't sleep. And this time, it wasn't disturbing dreams that kept him awake.

No, it was worry about their future. He couldn't shake the feeling that Ianto's transformation into an immortal being, and his own newfound ability to only regenerate inwardly and kept the same outward appearance had something to do with the Master.

That had been obvious from the start, hadn't it? he asked himself with a soft sigh. Those horrifying dreams -- which for him were more memory than dream -- couldn't have been sent by anyone but his lifelong adversary. There was no doubt of that.

Everything in their lives was so seemingly perfect now. The Master's plan, which he was sure had been intended to do away with both of them, or at least with Ianto, had backfired. He'd managed to save the day by pulling his lover from the Time Rift.

The Master had intended to destroy him by taking the man he'd bonded with away from him. His nemesis would know all too well that it would be the best way to take the Doctor out of commission, to wound his hearts in a way that would be impossible for him to get over.

If he didn't have Ianto in his life, he would still go on, of course. He wouldn't bring his life to an end; Ianto wouldn't have wanted that. He would have wanted the Doctor to stay in the world, to protect the universe from the Master in every way he could.

But he would have been an empty shell of who he'd once been if Ianto had been snatched from him, he thought with a shudder. He would have existed in the world, but he would have never again been able to care about anyone -- or much of anything, really.

Fortunately, that hadn't happened. They were both still here, and better than they had ever been. He even felt that he could face the Master now with much more confidence than he ever had in the past, knowing that he was more indestructible than he'd ever been.

He had never felt that he was infallible. He knew that he made mistakes -- there had been too many made for him to even begin to count over the course of his life. But now that he knew he couldn't be forced to give up this body, he was willing to take more risks than he had before.

He hoped that Ianto would be careful, even though he seemed to have the same immortality that Jack did; he didn't want his lover to disregard his safety too much and find out that he had limitations. They would have to find out just what his limits were.

That was something that the Doctor dreaded; he knew that there would be some time in the future when he would have to watch Ianto die, with no certainty that his lover would come back to him. It had happened once, there in the Hub, but that didn't mean that it would happen again.

What if Ianto's miraculous resurrection had only been a one-time thing? What if the man he loved wasn't immortal, but was still just as human and fragile as he'd ever been? What if all this seeming perfection they had in their lives now was only an illusion?

He had to repress another shudder, looking anxiously at Ianto's face to see if he'd woken the other man. But his lover slumbered on, a small smile on his lips; whatever he was dreaming about, they were obviously pleasant dreams.

The Doctor hoped that the man he loved was dreaming about their future together, and how they could now -- if Ianto was indeed immortal -- be together for the rest of eternity. It almost seemed too good to be true; this kind of perfection didn't simply fall into one's lap.

There had to be some sort of catch somewhere, he was sure of it. Normally, he wouldn't be this suspicious of such good fortune, but he knew that this all stemmed from the Master. And anything to do with his nemesis would always make him wary.

No matter how perfect it might all seem on the outside, the Doctor couldn't help but think that there was some fly in the ointment somewhere. And that niggling doubt wouldn't let him relax and enjoy their new existence, even though part of him insisted that he should.

He had to keep reminding himself that nothing was ever as it seemed, the Doctor thought, glancing over at Ianto again. He didn't want to be so cautious and suspicious, but he wasn't going to be completely easy with all that had happened for a while.

Ianto was cautious, too; even though they assured each other that this wasn't something they had to be worried about, he knew that his lover had the same doubts and fears that he did, that Ianto also felt this couldn't be as perfect as it seemed on the outside.

They would have to address those feelings sooner or later. They'd done so already, but the Doctor felt that they hadn't dug down deeply enough. They needed to get everything that they felt out in the open, with nothing kept from each other.

What would they discover when they finally did have that talk? The Doctor didn't think that Ianto had kept much from him, just as he had confessed all of his doubts about this to the other man. But there was still the feeling that they hadn't addressed everything they felt.

If anything, the thought made him anxious to talk with Ianto about everything that had happened, to make sure that everything they both thought and felt about it was out in the open between them. They shouldn't hide anything from each other, especially not their worries and fears.

But sometimes it was hard to tell Ianto exactly what he was feeling, as much as he loved the other man. He didn't want to worry his lover with his own fears, and he didn't want to make Ianto feel that he could ever have any doubts about the two of them.

He didn't have any doubts about them, the Doctor told himself with a slight smile. Not any more. Not now that he was fairly sure his lover would never be taken away from him. Of course, that fact remained to be seen, and finding the proof of that would be a trial by fire.

They didn't have the perfect relationship. They still kept some of their innermost worries from each other. But didn't all couples do that, simply to avoid giving their significant others more stress than they might be able to handle? It was only a matter of courtesy.

That was another thing that made this seeming perfection of the situation they'd stumbled into seem unreal. Nothing was ever perfect, the Doctor told himself, scowling. It might look that way on the outside, but there was always some drawback.

He wasn't going to put his complete trust and faith in what seemed to be. He would embrace it cautiously, and hope for the best -- but he wouldn't jump in head first without looking around carefully. That would be his watchword from now on: caution.

He could only hope that his caution would keep them both safe -- and that Ianto would follow his lead and remember that they both needed to be careful as they explored this new situation that they'd had thrust upon them. They couldn't afford to take many risks.

Nothing was ever as it seemed, especially with the Master. This seeming perfection that had entered their lives could very well be a clever trick, designed to make them let their guards down so that his nemesis could slip back into their lives when he was least expected.

That wasn't going to happen, the Doctor thought, his lips tightening into a straight line. He knew better than to think everything could possibly be perfect. He'd discovered the folly of relaxing his vigilance where the Master was concerned long ago, and he wouldn't make that mistake again.

When the Master came at them again, they'd be prepared. He would make sure of that. But for now, sleep was beckoning to him again, and he needed his rest. With a soft sigh, the Doctor snuggled back down into the pillows, closing his eyes and letting himself drift back into slumber.

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