Title: State of Confusion
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, 50episodes
Prompt: 11, Confused
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 opened his eyes slowly, his head pounding as though he'd been struck with some sort of heavy object. He was sure that hadn't happened, though -- so why did he feel like he'd had an elephant sitting on him and the creature had just gotten up?

He felt confused, disoriented. Shaking his head, he sat up, realizing that he was in his bed, and that Ianto was leaning over him, a concerned expression on the young man's face. He tried to sit up, but Ianto placed a hand firmly in the center of his chest and pushed him back down.

"No, Doctor, don't try to sit up for a few minutes," he said softly, shaking his head. "I don't know exactly what that flash of light was, but it sent you flying backwards against the wall, and you hit pretty hard. I was worried that it might have done some damage, but it doesn't seem so."

"No, I think I'm all right," the Doctor murmured, wincing as he raised a hand to his head. He gingerly rubbed his fingers through his hair, wincing again and hissing in pain as he felt the lump on the back of his head. "Just a good-sized bump, nothing more."

Ianto nodded, pressing him gently but firmly back down upon the pillows. "That's what I thought, too," he confirmed, sitting down on the bed beside the Doctor. "I know you're not harmed, but I want you to lie here and rest anyway. You looked so pale that I thought --"

His lover's words stopped abruptly, and the Doctor knew what he'd thought. He thought the same thing any time something happened to Ianto, no matter how mild it might be. It would take a while for them both to get it through their heads that those fears were ungrounded now.

It was still hard for him to get used to the idea that he never had to worry about Ianto aging; his lover would never get old, and never die. He was immortal, just as Jack was. And he himself would never regenerate into another body; he would keep this body, the one that they both loved.

He couldn't help but think that this latest little incident had been caused by the Master as well -- though he didn't know how the bastard could have managed to get into the Tardis. That wasn't possible -- the ship wouldn't admit just anyone into her inner sanctum.

And to cause that kind of an explosion, he would have had to be into the internal workings of the ship. He might have done something to her when he'd held the Doctor prisoner, long before Ianto had been here -- but if that was the case, why hadn't the tampering shown up before?

There was no way of telling when the Master could have sabotaged his ship -- and the Doctor didn't think that was the case. If she had been compromised in any way, the Tardis would have been able to let him know. They'd shared too strong a bond for too long for her not to do so.

"Have you managed to get any kind of handle on what that explosion might have been?" he asked Ianto, trying to sit up again. His head was still spinning; this time, he didn't resist as the young man pushed him more firmly back down, sinking into the pillows with a sigh.

He still felt as though he was in a state of confusion; that bright light hadn't really seemed like an explosion, but what else could it have been? And had it done any damage to the Tardis? If it had, he was the only one who would be able to fix it.

"I don't think it was an explosion, Doctor." Ianto's brow furrowed again; he looked both concerned and thoughtful at the same time. "It was just a bright flash of light and a loud bang, and a current of strong air that blew you back against the wall."

"Nothing was harmed on the Tardis?" the Doctor asked, almost unable to believe what his lover had told him. "If the Master caused this -- and I've got no reason to think otherwise -- then I'm surprised that there was no damage done. Other than to my head."

"Maybe that was the intention," Ianto mused, his frown growing more pronounced. "He may have just been trying to get your attention, to send you a message. Though I don't know what sort of message you could have gotten out of that."

"Only that he's somewhere near, and that he's more than likely watching us," the Doctor said, his tone grim. "We're going to have to be very careful with where we go and what we do, Ianto. I doubt that he's too happy about his plan to get rid of us failing."

"Not only did it fail, but it made us stronger in ways that he could never have thought it would," Ianto said softly, reaching for the Doctor's hand and twining their fingers together. "You'll never have to face him alone again, Doctor. I'm right here beside you, and I always will be."

"You don't know how grateful I am that you're here with me, love," the Doctor murmured, his gaze focusing on his lover's face. What would he do without Ianto in his life? He would be a lot lonelier --and apparently also exposed to much more danger.

The two of them would present a solid, unified front to the Master the next time that bastard tried to issue them a challenge. He wouldn't be able to split them up; they would stay together, no matter how hard their enemy might try to come between them in some way.

"He may have simply been trying to give me a warning that he's got his eyes on us," the Doctor said slowly, trying to think. He shook his head, closing his eyes with a grimace; his thoughts still felt foggy, as though the blow to his head was creating mists in his mind.

He was still in a state of confusion, so maybe that blow to his head had been more serious than either of them thought. It was best if he didn't try to think too much, but rather could lie here and rest, and let his head clear before he got up and went back itno the control room.

"I should probably get you to some planet with a hospital, where you can be checked out thoroughly," Ianto told him, still looking concerned. "You can't be too careful with a blow to the head. It's possible that you've been more affected than we think."

"I hope that's not the case, but you may be right," the Doctor agreed with a sigh. "I just hate hospitals, Ianto. You know that. Being in them makes me nervous -- and even more so when I'm the one who has to be the patient. I've never been comfortable with that."

"I understand how you feel, but I want to make sure that you're all right, love," Ianto said, his voice soft but firm. "I'm not going to take any chances where you're concerned, Doctor. It'll only be a short trip, I'm sure. But we'll both be reassured once it's over."

The Doctor nodded reluctantly, raising his hand to the back of his head again. It was only a lump, true, but his mind was still reeling. A blow to the head was nothing to be cavalier about, even for a Time Lord; it could have serious consequences if it had been severe.

There was nothing for it, then, he told himself with a sigh. He'd have to let Ianto take him to a hospital, just so they could be sure that he hadn't been unduly affected. And that was one more black mark that the Master had earned for himself.

"All right, Ianto," he agreed, giving his lover a wan smile. "If you say that I should get checked out at the hospital, then I suppose I'll let you take me there. It can't be that bad, after all. I can think clearly, so I know that my mind isn't affected, other than being a little confused."

"I think anyone would be confused by a lump on their head the size of the one you have," Ianto told him, those gentle fingers probing the Doctor's head. The Time Lord winced again, and Ianto stopped, sliding his arms around the Doctor's waist and pulling him close.

"We should get into the control room and steer the Tardis in the right direction," the young man said softly, helping his lover to sit up. "Are you feeling better, love? Do you think you can walk in there with my help? If you can't, then we might have bigger problems to worry about."

The Doctor shook his head, getting slowly to his feet. The world spun sickeningly for a moment, then his vision cleared and he felt like himself again. He was still in a slight state of confusion, but that would go away once he'd walked around a bit, he was sure.

"No, Ianto, I'm fine," he assured his lover, letting the young man slip an arm around his waist and guide him to the door of their bedroom. "I can walk by myself. I'm just a bit shaky, that's all. Don't worry about me -- I'm far stronger than you would think from looking at me."

Ianto nodded, staying beside the Doctor as the two of them made their way down the corridor towards the control room. He would have to look into this little incident when he felt less dazed and confused, the Doctor told himself. He wanted answers, as quickly as he could get them.

***