Title: Soothing Waters
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 25fluffyfics
Prompt: 10, Bath
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 sighed and closed his eyes as he sank into the hot water, glad that Ianto had insisted on running a bath for him. Their last encounter with the Master had left him shaken -- and more bruised and battered than was good for him.

Of course, his resilient Time Lord body would heal fairly quickly. But it was the bruises of another kind that would taken much longer to disappear. the inner bruises that no one but those closest to him would ever be able to see.

Thank goodness he had Ianto to help him through times like this. The Doctor smiled at the thought of his young lover; he didn't even want to imagine what his life would be like without Ianto in it. It wouldn't be a life worth having, he told himself silently, leaning his head back against the edge of the tub with a sigh.

"What are you sighing about, Doctor?"

His eyes flew open in surprise; he hadn't expected Ianto to be standing there in the doorway of the bathroom, looking at him with an expression of concern on his face, a frown marring his brow.

The Doctor shook his head, recovering from the slight shock of realizing that Ianto was right there, as though his own thoughts had somehow conjured his lover up out of thin air. "Nothing, really. I was just .... relaxing."

Ianto smiled, advancing into the bathroom and looking down at the Time Lord. "Would you mind having some company in the bath?" he asked softly. "I know you've been through a bad time -- but I want to be able to hold you for a while."

Of course, the Doctor knew that Ianto could do that just as well out of the bath as in -- but he certainly didn't mind having Ianto in the bath with him. It would be much more pleasant to lean back against that strong chest and feel his boyfriend's arms securely wrapped around him than to lay back against the porcelain of the bathtub.

"You're more than welcome to join me," he said, moving forward a bit to give Ianto room to slip into the bath behind him.

It only took the young man a few seconds to divest himself of his jeans and t-shirt; in a few more moments, the Doctor was sighing again, this time contentedly as he leaned back against Ianto and rested his head against his lover's shoulder.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't more protection out there," Ianto said, his tone sober. "I should have been more careful, Doctor. I should have been watching your back, instead of concentrating on what was going on around us."

The Doctor shook his head, frowning at Ianto's words. "Ianto, don't think like that. I've been battling the Master long enough to know that he can be crafty. Don't blame yourself for the fact that he was able to surprise us both."

This time, it was Ianto's turn to sigh. "Maybe you're right .... but I can't help feeling guilty whenever you're hurt. I should be able to protect you."

"Let's not think about it," the Doctor said, his tone gentle. "It's over and done, and we should put it behind us. Besides .... here we are in the bath together. Don't we have better things to think about than the Master?"

Ianto bowed his head to press a kiss against the Doctor's cheek, his mouth moving lower to nibble along his throat, then the curve of his shoulder. The Time Lord closed his eyes again, letitng his body relax in his lover's embrace. This was what he'd needed so many times in the past, but he'd never had it until he'd found Ianto.

Whatever quirk of fate had brought them together, he blessed it every day of his life. He'd never thought that he would find a soul mate, someone who he could give himself to completely, hearts, body and soul -- but now that he had, he was never going to let this man go.

Ianto's lips and hands were comforting, soothing him as much as the warm water. He could easily fall asleep here, he thought, blinking as he realized that he was in danger of doing just that. It woudn't do to fall asleep in the bath, however soothing it might be.

"I should have known you would have an antique bathtub," Ianto told him, his tone amused. "Did you get this with the intention of having room for two people?"

The Doctor couldn't help smiling at the question, shaking his head. "Of course not," he murmured, feeling a little embarrassed. It was, after all, a bit extravagant to have such a large bathtub on the Tardis. "It's been here for centuries, you know."

Ianto nodded, leaning back and pulling the Doctor closer against him. "There's no telling what your first incarnation was thinking when you got this," he mused, laying a hand on the porcelain ledge. "But I'm glad you did."

"So am I," the Doctor said, blinking again. What was it about the warmth and the knowledge that Ianto was here with him that was making him feel so tired? He'd never been like this when he'd had other companions, people who he didn't think of in the same way that he thought of Ianto. He'd never been able to relax this much after an encounter with the Master.

And he certainly hadn't been able to do that when he was alone. He'd sometimes spent days battling his own paranoia, feeling that the other man was going to suddenly pop up again, that he was somehow being watched.

He didn't have to feel like that any more, he assured himself. Ianto was with him; he wasn't going to be alone again for a very long time to come.

The Doctor yawned, realizing that he was close to falling asleep in Ianto's arms. The younger man bent his head again, brushing a soft kiss across his forehead and murmuring in his ear, his voice soft and soothing.

"You need to sleep, love," Ianto told him. "I should put you to bed when you're ready to get out of the bath." One hand raised to stroke the Doctor's cheek, leaving small trails of water down the Time Lord's smooth skin.

The Time Lord nodded, too tired to answer Ianto for the moment. When he could summon the energy to speak again, his words sounded barely audible to his own ears. That was definitely a sigh that he needed sleep; his body needed to rejuvenate itself. "I think we could both use a rest. Maybe we should go to bed now."

"Soon," Ianto whispered, those strong arms tightening around his waist again. "Let's stay in the bath a bit longer. It'll help you relax -- that's something you need, and not just because of having to face off with the Master."

"You may be right about that," the Doctor answered drowsily, closing his eyes and leaning back gratefully against his lover's body. The water was so warm and soothing, and Ianto was near .... and he was so tired ....

He never realized it when he drifted off into a deep sleep, cradled in Ianto's arms.

It was quite a while later when Ianto gently lifted the exhausted Time Lord out of the bath, carrying him to their bedroom and tucking him into their bed before joining him in slumber.

***