Title: Slow Ride
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Table: 5, sound_of_drums
Prompt: 41, British Rail
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 glanced around him as he slid into the seat of the commuter train, a frown on his face. He didn't look happy to be there, but Ianto wasn't going to let him back out of taking a trip to London on the train, since he'd never done it before.

He slid into the seat next to the Doctor, wrapping one arm around the Time Lord's waist as they both settled themselves. "Relax, Doctor," he said softly, leaning back against the seat. "It's going to take a while, but we'll get there eventually."

"Really, I don't see how human can deal with something so slow," the Doctor told him, still frowning. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this. It's going to drive me insane before we're even halfway there. If you wanted to go to London, we should have taken the Tardis."

"You've never been on British rail before," Ianto told him, pulling him a little closer. "It's something that you should experience, Doctor. It'll be a new experience for you."

"I don't need a new experience," the Doctor grumbled, settling back in the seat, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. "I'm only doing this because you wanted to. I'd rather be in the Tardis. Then we could zip to London quickly without having to wait."

"Fast isn't always the best way," Ianto objected, shaking his head. "This way, we can look at the scenery as we go. We'll have time to relax and talk, and it'll be a chance for us to relax while we're on our way there. I've always liked taking the train."

"We could relax just as much in the Tardis. Even more," the Doctor told him. "And we wouldn't have to keep our voices down. I don't particularly want the people around us to hear whatever we might choose to talk about. They'd think we were barmy."

"Doctor .... please try to relax," Ianto sighed, almost wishing that he hadn't done this. Maybe it would have been better to go to London in the ship ....

But he wanted the Doctor to have this experience. He'd always enjoyed taking British rail when he lived in London and had come home to Cardiff for a day or two, but hadn't felt like driving, or the weather had been bad. This would bring back some happy memories.

"Did you take the train when you lived in London?" the Doctor was asking, breaking into his thoughts. "I thought you had a tendency to drive everywhere. I'd have thought that you would have driven to Cardiff if you wanted to see your family."

Ianto shook his head, deciding to explain anything to the Doctor that he asked. After all, they had a three-hour trip ahead of them, which gave them plenty of time to talk. "When the weather was bad, I took the train. And sometimes I didn't feel like driving."

"I'd have thought that a young man would rather be in London," the Doctor remarked, looking at him with raised brows. "More to do there in your off time than in Cardiff."

"I didn't always go back to see my family," Ianto said softly, wishing that all the memories of his visits back to his home city could have been happy ones. "You know that my father and I have always had a bit of a strained relationship."

The Doctor nodded, taking Ianto's free hand in his own and squeezing it gently. "I haven't made things better since he discovered that you're in a relationship with a man, have I? I'm sorry about that, love. I wish that he was more understanding of who you are."

"It doesn't matter." Ianto tried to shrug the matter off philosophically. "I didn't expect him to have an easy time of it, and even if he doesn't ever come around, it's not going to make me have second thoughts about being with you. It's his problem, not mine."

He could feel the Time Lord relaxing slightly beside him; maybe all the Doctor needed to do was talk, and that would get his mind off the slowness of the train trip.

Of course, Ianto didn't think it was slow; but then, he wasn't completely used to getting around the entire universe in the Tardis. After that, anything that humans could come up with would seem slow to the Doctor, no matter what a human thought of it.

"My parents never had a problem with me preferring men," the Doctor said, leaning back in the seat with a sigh. "But then, I don't think they expected anything less of me. I was always different, and to them, that was just another way my differences manifested themselves."

"At least they accepted you for who you are." Ianto didn't want to sound wistful, but somehow the words came out in that tone. "I'm sorry, love," he apologized. "I just wish my parents could be more accepting of me. After all, I am their child."

"They love you, Ianto," the Doctor murmured, turning his head to look at his young lover and squeezing his hand again. "Even if they don't always show it."

"I know," Ianto told him, smiling a little. "I have a lot of happy memories of my times with them, mixed in with the bad ones. I suppose everyone's family has that. It's not as though I had a bad childhood. It was just .... strained at times."

"Everyone's childhood is like that, I think," the Doctor agreed, looking out of the window and frowning again. "Is this thing ever going to leave the station? It feels as though we've been sitting here all day, and we haven't moved yet."

"Patience, Doctor," Ianto said with a soft laugh. "We have to give people time to get on the train and get a bit settled before it leaves. You're used to being able to get anywhere within a matter of minutes. But humans haven't evolved to that stage yet."

"I suppose not," the Doctor agreed reluctantly, sighing again. "Ianto, I hope this isn't going to be your preferred way to travel whenever we're on Earth."

"Of course not," Ianto chuckled, shaking his head. "Sit back and enjoy the ride, Doctor. We have a lot to talk about. Next time we do this, I'll make sure to bring a couple of books with us. That's always a good way to make a journey seem shorter."

"Next time?" The Doctor looked horrified at his words. "You mean there'll be a next time?" The sound of his voice, paired with the look on his face, was entirely comical. Ianto couldn't help but laugh at his expression as he hugged the Time Lord close against him.

"Relax, love," he whispered into the other man's ear. "It's not going to be that bad, believe me. We'll be able to look out of the windows, talk, enjoy the scenery rushing by. And you won't have to worry about being followed by the Master, or anyone else."

The Doctor nodded, looking a little reluctant, but apparently accepting the truth of Ianto's words. The young man relaxed, smiling as the Doctor laid his head against his shoulder.

In his opinion, this was a relaxing way to spend some time. And he'd never made the trip between cities with anyone before, not even when he was with Lisa. So this was a new experience for him as well, and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

So this might not be a perfect way to travel, but he'd hopefully get his lover to make the trip again. Or at least to consider it. He leaned over to brush his lips against the Doctor's cheek as the train pulled out of the station, looking forward to the trip ahead of them.

***