Title: Unexpected Surprise
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: PG
Table: 25fluffyfics
Prompt: 16, Puppy/kitten
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, what in the world do you expect me to do with .... this?" the Doctor asked, sounding exasperated as he pointed to the kitten that was sniffing around the Tardis' console. "You know I'm not fond of cats, don't you?"

"Doctor, she's just a baby. If I'd left her there, she would probably have starved to death, or been killed by some other animal," Ianto protested, shaking his head. "We'll find someone to give her a good home. I just couldn't walk away and leave her there."

"Oh, all right," the Time Lord sighed, frowning. "As long as you promise that this is only temporary. I don't want to have a cat wandering around the Tardis. She could get into trouble -- or cause problems in the ship."

"What if we keep her confined to one room?" Ianto asked, looking concerned. "I don't want her to get into anything that could harm the Tardis -- or cause any problems. And I certainly don't want the kitten to get hurt, either."

"Neither do I," the Doctor admitted, his voice sounding gruff. Ianto couldn't hold back a slight smile; he was sure that the Time Lord had a soft heart when it came to animals, especially baby animals. He'd never abandon this kitten, any more than Ianto would.

But of course, they couldn't have a cat on the Tardis. It would be cute for a while, but it would also be far too easy for a kitten to wander off if they happened to leave the door open when they went out on some planet. So it wasn't a good idea, really.

Still, he couldn't help thinking that it would be nice to have a pet. He'd never had one since he'd moved out of his parents' house; he'd always been too busy to take proper care of a pet, and even when he wasn't, he shied away from the responsibility.

Well, all right, so that wasn't entirely the truth, he told himself with an inward sigh. He simply didn't want to go through the heartache when a pet died. He'd dealt with that enough when family pets had passed away, and it was something he'd rather avoid.

Who did he know who might want a cat? Not any of his Torchwood friends, obviously. Jack would look at him as though he was completely barmy, and ask what he could possibly do with a cat. Gwen and Owen would probably be the same way.

Tosh might like a kitten, though. She'd talked sometimes about the possibility of getting a cat or dog; she'd probably like the idea of a little furball to take care of. And she would probably appreciate having the company, as well.

But Tosh worked a great deal; she might not have time to take care of a kitten. Ianto's brow furrowed as he reluctantly discarded that possibility. Who else did he know who would want to take care of a kitten? There had to be someone.

Rhiannon. His sister's name popped into his mind out of the blue; he hadn't thought of her in a while, but she would be the perfect person to adopt a baby animal. She had always loved the family pets even more than he did when they were children.

It would be an unexpected surprise, but his sister was used to dealing with those. And she was an animal person; she'd always been prone to bringing home stray kittens and puppies when they were children. She would be more than willing to adopt their little furball.

Yes, that was the answer. Ianto smiled as a wave of relief flooded through him. They could take the kitten to Rhiannon; she'd appreciate it more than anyone he knew. She loved cats, and she'd often said that she wouldn't turn away any animal.

"I'll hold her while you get a saucer of milk," the Doctor told him, bringing Ianto back to the present. He watched unbelievingly as the Time Lord scooped up the tiny grey-and-white ball of fur, a smile tugging at the corners of the Gallifreyan's lips as the kitten meowed.

"You're actually volunteering to hold a kitten?" Ianto asked, wondering if there was some quick way he might be able to capture this moment on film, so he'd be able to replay it to prove that the Doctor had actually done this. "Is the world ending?"

"Of course not!" the Doctor said, his tone hovering between embarrassment and sharpness. "I just don't want her to take off running down one of the corridors. We can keep her in the kitchen until we sort out just where to take her."

"All right, if you say so." Ianto couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he turned to go to the kitchen. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I'll get her a saucer of milk, and then we can keep her in the kitchen until we decide what would be the best place for her to go."

As he made his way down the corridor, the smirk on Ianto's face became a broad smile. It wouldn't be a good idea for them to have a kitten here on the ship -- but he'd discovered that his lover's dislike of cats was more of a front than he'd originally thought.

It was sweet to see the Doctor with that kitten, he thought as he opened the refrigerator and took out the milk, then reached into the cupboard for a small bowl. He'd never have thought that the Time Lord could be so gentle with a baby animal.

But he should have expected that, really. The Doctor might be a formidable man in many ways, but Ianto knew better than anyone that there was a side of the Time Lord that was very gentle and vulnerable; that was one of the things that had made him fall so deeply in love with this man.

He loved both sides of the Doctor -- the strong, protective man who always came through in any kind of an emergency, and the soft, vulnerable man who cried at sad movies and cared so passionately about the universe and the people in it.

Ianto smiled as he hurried back down the corridor towards the control room, carrying the bowl of milk. It would be fun to have that kitten around for a while -- as much to see the Time Lord's reaction to a furry pet as to have the kitten to play with.

When he emerged from the corridor into the control room, Ianto had to stop and stand where he was; if he had continued walking, he was sure that he would stumble over his own feet. He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, even though the proof was there in front of him.

The Doctor was lying on the floor, lifting the kitten above him -- and making kissy noises at her. This kind of behavior was so incongruous for the Time Lord that Ianto couldn't help but wonder if he'd somehow managed to wander into the Twilight Zone.

Now this was another unexpected surprise, one that changed his perceptions of his lover a great deal. Ianto had known that the Doctor usually tried to hide the softer side of himself -- but he hadn't expected that side to come out in this way.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" The words were out of Ianto's mouth before he could stop himself, even though he knew perfectly well what the Time Lord was doing. He was enjoying himself, playing with the kitten. It was exactly what Ianto himself would do.

"I -- errr -- ahhh ...." The Doctor's voice trailed off as he scrambled to his feet, still holding the kitten. "I was just trying to make sure that she didn't run off," he mumbled, a pink blush spreading over his face. "I thought it would be easier to watch her if I was, ahhh, at her level."

Ianto thought it best not to burst into loud laughter or shake his head in disbelief as he set the bowl down and watched the kitten start to lap up the milk. "I think we can take her to my sister Rhiannon," he said, glancing at the Time Lord. "She'd love to have a kitten."

The Doctor didn't answer; after a moment, Ianto looked over at him again. He was watching the kitten, a soft smile on his face, seemingly enraptured by the way the small creature was lapping up the milk. He looked almost like a proud parent.

It seemed to take a few moments for what Ianto had said to register. "Oh, yes, that's a good idea," he finally said, tearing his eyes away from the kitten to look at his lover. "But it would be nice to have her around for just a few days, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, indeed it would," Ianto said softly, stepping closer to the Doctor to slide an arm around his lover's waist. Somehow, he thought that they might not want to part with the kitten -- and that the Doctor would be the one who had the hardest time with giving her away.

***