Title: Unwrapped
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 25fluffyfics
Prompt: 18, Gift
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 frowned as he sat up in bed, remembering instantly what significance the day ahead of him would have. He hated birthdays; he always had. Even when he was a child, he'd never gotten excited by the fact that this day was his birthday.

It had never seemed to him to be something to celebrate; even when he'd been young and at the age where birthdays were supposed to be fun, for him, they never had been. His parents had never made a big deal out of it, so he didn't either.

What was a birthday to him now but growing older? Cutting short his time with the Doctor, time that he desperately wanted to hold on to rather than letting it slip through his fingers. No, a birthday for him was nothing to celebrate.

He was another year older, he thought sourly as he swung his long legs out of bed. Maybe that meant that he was also another year wiser, but somehow, he doubted that. Wisdom didn't seem to be one of his good qualities even at the best of times.

Ianto held up a hand, frowning again. Stop right there, he told himself inwardly. That was the way he had thought before he'd been a member of Torchwood, before he'd become a valued member of the team. That sort of thinking was behind him now.

The Doctor had chosen him not only as a companion, but as his lover. They were more than lovers; they were soul mates, bonded together throughout eternity. If there wasn't something special about him, the Doctor wouldn't have been drawn to him.

He could take pride in that, if nothing else, Ianto thought as he pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms. No, that wasn't entirely true, he rebuked himself firmly. He could take pride in much more than that. He'd accomplished a lot of things in his life.

It was surprising that the Doctor hadn't been in bed beside him when he woke, but the Time Lord might have wanted to do something special for his birthday. Ianto couldn't help but smile at that thought; the idea of the Doctor making him breakfast in bed was sweet.

He actually liked the thought of the Doctor making him breakfast, though he couldn't be sure that was why the Time Lord wasn't in their bed when he'd awakened. He might be in the control room, or off in some other part of the Tardis.

Ianto left their bedroom, heading down the corridor that led to the kitchen. Entering the room, he looked around for the Doctor, surprised to find that the Time Lord wasn't there. Well, so much for his idea of having breakfast in bed.

Leaving the kitchen, he went next to the control room, expecting to see the Time Lord bent over the console, engrossed in some planet that the Tardis was hovering above. But a quick glance told him that the Doctor wasn't there, either.

Ianto paused in the corridor, a frown wrinkling his brow. Where could the Doctor be? It wasn't like him to leave their bed before Ianto woke, and it certainly wasn't like him to play a game of hide-and-seek like this. If that was indeed what he was doing.

Well, they were still in space, from what he could see on the quick glance he'd shot towards the two viewscreens that he could see from where he'd stood in the control room. So the Doctor had to be on the Tardis. That much he knew.

What would be the most likely place for his lover to go? Ianto frowned as he thought of several places that the Doctor could have gone, discarding them all as quickly as they came to his mind. Then his thougths lighted on one place, and his frown cleared.

The library, of course. That was one of the Doctor's favorite rooms on the Tardis; he always went there whenever he wanted to relax. Though Ianto had no idea why he would have gone there, it seemed to be the most logical place to find the other man.

Making his way down the corridor that led to the library, Ianto broke into a smile, his steps quickening as he got closer to the room. He couldn't wait to burst in upon the Doctor, wrap his arms around his lover, and demand why he hadn't been awakened this morning.

As he stepped into the room, Ianto realized that he'd indeed found the Doctor -- and that he'd also found much more than he'd bargained for. He stood there with his mouth open, looking around the room that seemed to have been transformed before his eyes.

The comfortable couch and easy chairs that usually rested in the middle of the room had been pushed to the sides, covered with satiny fabrics that made them look unfamiliar. In fact, the room had taken on an entirely different aspect from the one he was used to.

It now looked more like a ballroom than a library, even though shelves of books still lined the walls. But the polished floor shone in a way that it had never seemed to before, as though it was a dance floor that beckoned to couples who wanted to waltz around it in each other's arms.

There was a table set for two in one corner of the room, lit softly by candles in its centerpiece. It was obviously intended for a romantic dinner -- or breakfast, as the case might be, Ianto thought to himself as he looked about, feeling somewhat dazed.

The Doctor moved towards him, his hands outstretched. "I didn't think you'd wake up before I made it back to the bedroom," he said, sounding contrite. "I wanted this to be my surprise gift to you for your birthday. A romantic getaway for the two of us."

Ianto blinked, bringing himself back to the present moment. "It's beautiful, love," he said softly, looking around him again. He'd never thought that their comfortable library could look like this -- like a room right out of a romance novel.

"I knew that you didn't want me to do anything special for your birthday, like get you a gift or take you anywhere -- so I thought this would be nice, just to have a romantic day to ourselves," the Doctor told him, sounding a little nervous as he spoke.

The young man realized that the Doctor was worried he might not like these plans -- and he hastened to assure his lover that the opposite was true. "This is beautiful, sweetheart," he said softly, swallowing past the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat.

Maybe he shouldn't have told the Doctor so emphatically that he didn't want anything special to mark this day. A birthday was, after all, a special occasion. Maybe the two of them should celebrate the day -- and this was a beautifully romantic way to do just that.

He slid his arms around the Doctor's slender waist, pulling the Time Lord against him. "I think I'm going to have to go back to the bedroom and change clothes," he said softly, laughter bubbling up under his words. "I'm hardly dressed for the occasion."

"I'd say you're perfectly dressed," the Doctor told him, stepping back and letting his eyes roam over Ianto's body. "I like seeing you half-naked, you know." The Time Lord's dark eyes were sparkling, his words a little breathless.

"Then what do you say that you give me another gift -- one that I ask for?" Ianto whispered, his eyes never leaving the Time Lord's face. He glanced around the room again, his gaze moving in the direction of the couch pushed against the wall.

"And what gift would that be?" the Doctor asked, his voice dropping to a murmur, his tone suddenly husky. "I might be able to guess what it is, if you give me a few hints." He looked at Ianto from under his longer lashes, a mischievous smile playing around the corners of his mouth.

"Well .... for starters, it would involve you being undressed. Or better yet, it would involve me undressing you," Ianto told him, his own voice nearly a purr. "You know that part of the fun of getting a gift is being able to take your time unwrapping it."

The Doctor took a few steps away from Ianto, holding out his arms and tilting his head to the side. "Then here's your birthday gift, my love," he said softly, his gaze meeting Ianto's. "Ready for you to unwrap and explore at your leisure."

Ianto laughed softly, following the Doctor and sliding one arm around the Time Lord's waist. As their lips met, the thought went through his mind that maybe birthdays weren't so bad after all -- especially not when he was presented with a gift that he could unwrap over and over again.

***