Title: Turn the Tables
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: R
Table: 3, 50episodes
Prompt: 39, Predatory
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 turned his head slowly to the side, staring at the Master without speaking. He knew better than to struggle against the cords he was bound with; they seemed to become tighter as his body heat rose, and it would be useless to think he could escape.

At least he knew that Ianto was safe; the Master had spent enough time raging about the fact that he hadn't managed to capture both of them. He wasn't going after the young man, though; the Doctor was sure of that. He would wait for Ianto to come to him.

And Ianto would do that; the Doctor was sure of it. His lover would do anything to rescue him -- even to the point of sacrificing himself. Ianto would probably look at this as a way to test his immortality, to prove that it was real and not just some sort of wishful thinking.

He wasn't sure that he could deal with that. He had already held Ianto's lifeless body in his arms once; he considered himself lucky that his love had been returned to him, and he didn't want to go through that kind of heartbreak and utter desolation again.

The Master seemed satisfied at the moment; maybe he would simply gloat over the fact that he had the Doctor prisoner for a while, rather than formulating some kind of plan to capture Ianto as well. That might be a vain hope, but he would cling to it while he could.

His fists clenched in his bonds; he wished more than ever that he could wriggle out of them, that he could find some way to escape and overpower the Master, to do away with this menace to the universe once and for all, rather than showing his customary mercy to one of his own kind.

He should have done that long ago; rather than holding onto the slim hope that the Master could someday be rehabilitated, that the darkness hadn't swallowed him completely, he should have sent this monster on his way into another realm long since.

Because he hadn't done so, the universe was still in danger from this man. The blame for that rested squarely on his own shoulders; he couldn't push away the fact that if he had been a stronger man in the past, this threat to the world wouldn't exist now.

"You won't get him," he said quietly, sure that he knew what avenues the Master's thoughts were moving down. "He'll come to rescue me, but Ianto is much smarter than you. And he's had to deal with you before. He's not going to give in as easily as you think he will."

"Oh, I know he won't, Doctor." The Master swung around to face his captive, an expression of supreme satisfaction on his face. "Thanks to the blunders that happened when I tried to get rid fo the two of you, he's going to have more confidence than he ever has before."

The Doctor surreptitiously strained against his bonds again; the cords seemed to tighten even more around his thin wrists, making him realize that he'd been right about them. They were growing tighter when he struggled; the only alternative was to be still.

"Yes, he'll be more confident," the Doctor said, trying to keep his voice on a calm, even keel. "How could he not be, knowing that he's immortal now? And thank you for confirming that our lucky accident was caused by you trying to achieve the opposite.'

"You knew that from the beginning, didn't you?" the Master inquired, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure that you had it in the back of your mind that the little indisposition in the Rift was something I caused. I only wish it had managed to work in the way that I wanted it to."

He couldn't let the Master's taunts goad him into saying anything he'd regret, the Doctor reminded himself, carefully schooling his features into a bland expression. The less he said, the better. He had no idea where Ianto was, or what his lover might be planning to do.

He only knew that the Master was obviously in a predatory mood; he'd seen that look far too often before on the other man's features, and he knew that it boded no good for the two of them. They would have to tread lightly to get out of this situation.

But he had faith in Ianto. He knew that the man he loved would find a way to rescue him; he just had to keep his eyes open and his senses alert, to be ready for whatever signal Ianto might send him. He didn't know what it would be, but he knew that it would come.

He could only hope that his lover would know how to handle himself around the Master, and not take any unnecessary risks. He was sure that Ianto was immortal now, but he didn't want to find out that wasn't so and have it come as a great shock for both of them.

"Of course I knew it," the Doctor lied, not wanting the Master to know that he had considered several other possibilities before he'd finally come to the decision that those happenings had been directly linked to this monster who now held him captive. "The question is, how did you do it?"

"Ah, I never reveal my secrets, Doctor. You should know that by now." The Master approached him again, smiling, reaching out to trail his fingertips down the Time Lord's cheek. "You know, I'm quite glad that you won't be regenerating into another body. I've grown to like this one."

"Like it as much as you want to, but you'll never have it again," the Doctor shot back before he could force himself to be silent. He cursed himself inwardly for losing his composure, even for a moment; that was exactly what the Master wanted him to do.

"Don't be so sure of that, Doctor," the Master murmured, his gaze sweeping over the Time Lord's body. The Doctor had to suppress a shudder; he felt as though he were naked in front of the Master. That all-knowing gaze had seen him in a natural state far too often for his liking.

"What do you think your lover would do if he knew that you were being taken? Do you think he would rush to your rescue, heedless of anything that might happen to him?" That predatory gleam in the Master's eyes was suddenly more pronounced; it made the Doctor nervous.

"Of course he would," the Master continued, not giving the Doctor time to answer the question that had been put to him. "I know that those pendants connect the two of you, and I know that you're bonded. He might not be a telepath, but he'll know what's happening."

The Master's eyes narrowed as they rested on the softly glowing pendant, though he didn't reach for it. He had already discovered that the glowing stone could cause a nasty burn if anyone tried to remove it; that was obviously something he didn't want to be subjected to again.

"He knew the first time he found you after you'd given yourself to me, didn't he?" The tone of his voice had gone beyond simply predatory; it now carried a definite menace, the sibilant sound of his words almost like a hiss in the Doctor's ears.

"Your lover knew that you were in trouble, and he came running to find you. But this time, it's going to be much harder for him to rescue you -- and I'm going to make sure that he finds you in a rather, shall we say, compromising position," the Master went on, his tone rough and grating.

The Doctor's hearts seemed to clench in his chest; he knew better than to discount the Master's words or to try and pretend that they meant nothing. This wasn't just a mere threat; his nemesis was more than capable of carrying out what he was saying.

If it came down to Ianto having to witness the Master doing unspeakable things to his body, he hoped that his lover would be able to forgive him for letting it happen, and that it wouldn't affect their relationship. He was sure that it wouldn't; the bond between them was too strong.

Nothing would take Ianto's love away from him. He would understand that none of this had been the Time Lord's doing; he was well enough acquainted with the Master's particular brand of sadism that he would instantly recognize this for what it was -- nothing more than petty revenge.

Neither of them had expected the Master to show up when he did; they hadn't been prepared. But the Doctor was certain that even now, Ianto was thinking of a way to turn the tables, to turn the tables and to put them in control of the situation once more.

The predatory smile on the Master's face grew as his hand moved down, caressing the Doctor's throat and beginning to work at his tie. The Time Lord was sure of what was coming eventually; his mind shrank from it, even though he knew that his body would have a more physical response.

This was going to get much worse before it got better, he was sure of that. He only hoped that Ianto would be able to deal with whatever he might have to see -- and that they could both make it through whatever was going to happen and come out intact on the other side.

***