Title: Understanding
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Table: 20_est_relships
Prompt: 7, Understanding
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 as he stepped out of the shower in Ianto's flat, picking up the towel that he'd laid out and starting to dry himself off with it. They had the day to spend together, as it was a weekend and nothing special seemed to be happening with Torchwood, but he had the feeling that it was going to be a day full of tension for them both.

He'd already told Ianto that he had to leave for a while, that he'd gotten a message on the psychic paper and that he didn't know when he'd be back. The night before had been tense, with Ianto turning away from him once they got into bed and turned out the light.

The Doctor had laid there for a long time, sleepless, trying his best not to let his emotions get the better of him. He wasn't going to lie there and cry; that would be using emotional blackmail on Ianto, in a way, and he wasn't going to stoop to that.

But this was the first time since they'd been together that Ianto had turned away from him and gone to sleep without a goodnight kiss, without a word. It was the first night they'd spent together when he hadn't fallen asleep in Ianto's arms, secure in knowing that he was loved and needed.

Ianto had been in the kitchen when he'd woken up this morning, and he'd thought that it was best to take a shower before he joined his boyfriend. At least he would be more awake and refreshed.

The Doctor rubbed his damp hair energetically with the towel, peering into the mirror as he did so. What was it that attracted Ianto to him, anyway? Yes, this body was much more attractive than any he'd ever had before, but surely it couldn't only be that.

There was so much more to what he and Ianto shared than just a physical attraction. He didn't want to think that him leaving for what would only amount to a few days, at the most, could spark Ianto's resentment and put so much strain into their relationship. It shouldn't be like that.

He couldn't particularly see what it was about this body that so attracted Ianto. He was pale, freckled, and far too thin. Attractive, yes, but there didn't seem to be anything about him, at least outwardly, that would inspire such devotion as he had from the young Welshman.

Ah, but love was a strange thing, wasn't it? There was no rhyme or reason to why people fell in love, the Doctor thought, smiling a little. They just .... did. He wrapped the towel around his waist, tying it in a secure knot before he opened the bathroom door and made his way down the hall to find Ianto.

His young lover was at the polished counter, making coffee as he so often did in the office. The Doctor watched him for a few moments before he entered the kitchen and hesitantly touched his shoulder.

"Ianto, we .... have to talk." His voice sounded tight and strained, as though the tension in his body had somehow transferred itself to his words. He could hear it in his tone; he wondered if Ianto could pick up on it, too. The Doctor was sure that he could.

Ianto turned to face him, a contrite look on his face. "I know we do, love. I-I'm sorry about last night. The last thing I wanted to do was make you feel unwanted on your last night here. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, I know that. I was just .... more upset than I should have been."

Well. He hadn't expected this turnaround. The Doctor blinked, looking surprised. "I know you were upset, and you had a perfect right to be. But you have to understand, Ianto. I can't stay here all the time. I have .... responsibilities, as much as I'd like to avoid them sometimes."

"I know you do," Ianto told him, raising a hand to cup his cheek. Those soft fingertips stroked over his skin, Ianto's voice in his ears. "It's wrong of me to want to keep you to myself all the time, Doctor. I know that I don't have a right to do that, as much as I wish I could."

"I'd take you with me if I could," he said softly, closing his eyes and turning his head slightly to better feel Ianto's touch. "But Jack would be upset if I whisked you away with no word. He'd probably come after me, demanding that I give you back."

"You could always tell him I'm going with you," Ianto said, a slight frown creasing his brow. "It's not as though he could stop me if I simply told him I was going."

The Doctor shook his head, frowning in response to Ianto's words. "And then what would you do if he said that he didn't want you in Torchwood if you're going to keep running off with me? Torchwood needs you, Ianto. And you may even need it, though I hate to say that."

Ianto shook his head, smiling wryly. "No, Torchwood doesn't need me, Doctor. Not really. But I need it, in an odd way. And I've put too much time into it to just walk away from it. I'd feel guilty if I did. But .... I need to be with you, too. I suppose my loyalties are getting too divided."

"You can't come with me, Ianto." The Doctor tried to keep his voice as gentle as possible as he spoke. "I don't want to put you in any kind of danger. I need to do this alone."

"Danger?" Ianto's tone was sharp, the frown on his face deepening. "What do you mean, danger? You don't think I'm just going to let you run off into a situation that could get you injured or killed, do you? If there's any danger involved, then I'm definitely coming with you."

"No, you aren't." The Doctor shook his head firmly, sitting down at the kitchen table and looking up at Ianto. "I've dealt with things like this a million times before, Ianto -- probably more. I'd feel better if I know you're safe. Please don't argue with me."

"But ...." Ianto looked as though he wanted to protest, then he turned away from the Doctor and leaned against the counter, staring down at the brewing coffeepot. "How long will you be gone?" he asked, his voice low-pitched and barely audible.

"I don't know. I hope it won't be more than a few days, at best." He wanted to reach out to Ianto, to give his lover some sort of reassurance that he'd be all right, but he couldn't. How could he say that sort of thing to Ianto when he didn't know the answer himself?

"Please let me come with you." Ianto's voice was choked, the words sounding thick and almost slurred. "I can't bear the thought of something happening to you and me not being there."

"Ianto, I ...." The Doctor sighed softly, getting up and going over to his lover, wrapping his arms around Ianto's waist from behind and resting his cheek against the other man's shoulder. "I don't want to put you at risk. I need you to understand that. Please."

"I take risks every day with Torchwood. You can't deny me the right to put my life on the line for you. Not when I do it all the time for them." Ianto straightened up, turning to face him, those strong arms sliding around him and pulling him closer. "Don't treat me as though I'm made of glass, Doctor. I can assure you that I won't break."

"Yes, you do, but I don't want to compound those risks by bringing you with me." But he was weakening, and he was sure that Ianto knew that. He wanted the man he loved with him, even though he knew that it probably wasn't the best idea for either of them.

"Jack will just have to understand that I need to be with you," Ianto said firmly, his arms tightening around the Doctor's waist. "I'm not going to let you go alone, not if there's any chance you could get hurt."

"There's always a chance of that, no matter what either of us are doing," the Doctor said, holding back yet another sigh. Ianto wasn't going to be turned aside, he could tell. The young man would end up coming with him -- and, truth be told, he'd be grateful to have company.

Ianto bowed his head, brushing his lips across the Doctor's mouth. "It's better if we're together, you know," he whispered, his breath soft and warm against the Time Lord's skin. "We can watch out for each other. It's one of the reasons fate brought us together."

"I suppose you're right." He didn't want to sound reluctant; after all, if he was in Ianto's place, he'd want to go with his lover rather than be left behind, too. "Jack will just have to accept your decision."

"He really doesn't have much of a choice," Ianto told him, smiling as he released his hold on the Doctor and turned back towards the counter. He reached up to open a cabinet and take down two coffee mugs, busying himself with pouring coffee for the two of them.

"No, he certainly doesn't." The Doctor sat back down at the table, taking the mug that Ianto handed him. "I don't know how he runs Torchwood as well as he does, considering the strong personalities that he has to deal with. I'm surprised you two don't butt heads more often."

"Oh, we do," Ianto laughed, sitting down beside him and taking the Doctor's hand in his. "He just knows when to give in gracefully -- and so do I, when I have to, which is more often than not. But I'm not giving in on this. He'll simply have to deal with it."

"This is going to push his ability to be understanding to the limit," the Doctor said, picturing the look on ths immortal's face when he was told that Ianto would be gone for a while. "I don't think I want to be there when you tell him. No, wait, yes I do. I want to see just how he looks when he finds out that you're coming with me. It'll be an interesting sight."

"Yes, it will," Ianto agreed, his grey eyes sparkling with laughter. "And I think we should let him know as soon as possible. So get dressed and let's take ourselves to Torchwood, shall we?"

"Somehow, I think this is going to be a day to remember -- more so than the situation we might be heading towards," the Doctor told Ianto, getting to his feet and heading for the bedroom to get dressed. "It's going to take a lot of understanding all around, on everyone's part."

As he made his way down the short carpeted hallway, the Doctor smiled to himself. Being patient and understanding had never been Jack's forté -- so it would be interesting indeed to see just how the immortal handled this. An interesting time lay ahead of them, indeed.

***