Title: Tears Run Rings
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 50ficlets
Prompt: 5, Cry
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.

***

Ianto peered out of the door of the Tardis, watching the Doctor as his lover stood looking up at the night sky, his hands shoved into his pockets. He couldn't see the look on the Time Lord's face; the other man's back was turned to him.

But he could imagine that look. He knew all too well how melancholy could grip the Doctor when he looked up at the stars; Ianto knew that his lover was thinking of Gallifrey, of the Time Wars, and his own part in what had taken place.

He didn't need to see the Doctor's face to know that the other man was crying, even though the Time Lord wasn't making a sound.

His shoulders weren't shaking; he wasn't sobbing aloud. He was merely standing there, looking up at the velvety-black night sky that was sprinkled with a handful of stars. Ianto was sure he could name each one of those stars if he wanted to.

He'd probably been to all of them, the young man thought, his eyes resting on his lover. He wanted to go out there and slide his arms around the Doctor, comfort him in any way he could. But at the same time, he hesitated to do so.

It didn't seem right to break in on the Doctor's private grief. Even though he'd spoken to Ianto several times about the Time Wars, it wasn't something he felt that he had a right to intrude on. He didn't want to add to the other man's sadness.

But he wouldn't add to it if all he did was offer comfort, he told himself, stepping out of the ship. If he didn't ask questions, he wouldn't stir the Doctor's memories.

Moving quietly across the grass, he walked to where his lover was standing, slipping his arms slowly around the Time Lord's slender waist so as not to frighten him. The Doctor leaned back against him, his eyes closed, letting Ianto support him.

He didn't want to ask the Doctor if everything was all right; it was obviously a stupid question. He didn't know what had brought the other man's tears to the surface, but if the Time Lord wanted him to know, then he would certainly tell.

After what seemed like a long time, the Doctor finally sighed, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, love," he murmured, raising a hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "I didn't mean to let you see me cry. It just .... sometimes it's a bit too much to keep inside."

Ianto didn't have to ask what he meant. The Doctor carried so much guilt with him, so much hurt, so much loneliness. It was inevitable that his emotions would come to the surface at times.

"There's no need to apologise, sweetheart," he said softly, brushing his lips across the Doctor's smooth cheek. "I know you deal with a lot. It would be strange if you didn't feel the need to let your emotions out once in a while."

"All those stars in the sky," the Doctor said, his voice catching in his throat. "And I know each and every one of them. Well, at least most of them. But .... but Gallifrey isn't there any more. I'll never look into the night sky on Earth and see my home again."

Ianto's throat tightened at those words; he could feel his heart reaching out toward the man he loved. Was there anything more sad than what the Doctor faced every day of his life? He'd lost his home, his people, everything he held dear.

Except his lover, Ianto told himself, his arms tightened around the slender Time Lord and pulling him closer against his own body. The Doctor would never lose him.

It would happen eventually, he knew. That was inevitable. But he planned to be in the Doctor's life until he was a ripe old age, and to die in the arms of the man who was everything to him. They would always be a part of each other, even after his life span was over.

"Someone told me once that tears run rings around the heart that cries them," the Doctor whispered, still looking up at the star-sprinkled sky. "If that's true, then my hearts must look something like the planet Saturn, with all its rings."

"I believe that your hearts are as beautiful as the rest of you," Ianto told him softly, raising a hand to brush the Doctor's soft hair back from his forehead. "And having rings made by emotions would make them even more precious to me."

"Those hearts belong to you, Ianto," the Doctor said, turning his head slightly to look at his lover. "With all of their faults, all of the emotions that are harbored inside them -- and all of the love I have for you. They'll always be yours, until time ceases to exist."

"And mine will be yours. Rings, faults, and all," Ianto promised as he lowered his head to kiss the remnants of tears away from the TIme Lord's cheeks.

***