Title: World of Wonders
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4, 50episodes
Prompt: 24, Innocence
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 looked over at the console where the Doctor was standing, a slight smile on his face as he scanned the readouts in front of him. Ianto couldn't help smiling himself when he saw that look; it was one that the Time Lord hadn't worn lately.

He'd missed seeing that little smile curving his lover's lips, the smile that told of happiness and contentment. He had wondered for quite a while if it would ever come back; it had seemed that those dark dreams the Master had sent would take that smile away forever.

But that smile had returned, as sunny and bright as it had ever been before their problems with the Master had started. Perhaps even more so, Ianto told himself, his own smile growing. They had literally been through the fire, and they'd come out safely on the other side.

They might both be a bit singed, but they had been like two phoenixes that had risen from the ashes, better and stronger than they'd been before. And they hadn't lost any of the love that kept them together -- in fact, that love had only intensified.

The two of them were much more relaxed now, Ianto thought, watching the Doctor as the other man bent over the console and adjusted something there. They both smiled and laughed more, and he could feel a new and deeper level of intensity in their commitment to each other.

Not only that, but the Doctor's sense of playfulness seemed to have come back in a big way. The Time Lord had always retained that, even in their darkest hours, but now, it was coming out front and center -- and it was something that Ianto loved to see.

His innocent side had come back out, as well. The Doctor had seemed to push the side of him that was almost childlike aside while they had been dealing with those dreams -- but now, the innocent wonder was back again every time they saw something new.

That was one of the personality traits that Ianto had always loved about the Doctor, from the first time they'd met. He loved seeing how the Time Lord could react to something he hadn't seen before with the awe and wonder of a child, clapping his hands and smiling.

There were times when he even almost jumped and down in childish joy, Ianto thought, wanting to laugh out loud at the memory. He loved seeing the Doctor like that; it did his heart good to see his lover able to indulge that childlike, impressionable side of himself.

That innocent joy in the wonders of the world spread to him, as well. He'd seen so much since he'd been with the Doctor that he'd never even dreamed of -- and some of the Time Lord's wonder in those new sights and experiences had transferred itself to him.

Maybe some people would find it strange for a man who was over nine hundred years old who had seen so much of the universe to have that sort of innocence -- but it was something that Ianto prized, and that he hoped his lover would never lose.

He was afraid that the Doctor's innocent, his childlike joy in the small pleasures of life, had left him for good when those horrible dreams had started, that the Master had crushed that innocence forever. He was more relieved than he could say that it wasn't the case.

The Doctor looked up at Ianto with a smile; it was almost as though he'd felt his lover's eyes on him, and had known that Ianto's thoughts involved him. Ianto wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case; he could swear that the Doctor could read his thoughts.

Of course he could, the young man told himself. The Doctor was a telepath, and since the two of them had bonded, it was easier than ever for the Time Lord to know what he was thinking. Why should it be so surprising to think that his lover knew what he was thinking?

"Are you reading my mind?" he asked, keeping his voice light. "I don't mind if you are -- in fact, I'd think that it's probably hard not to," he hastened to add. "I wouldn't be surprised at all if my thoughts leak out so that it's impossible for you not to know them."

"Well .... that's true, in a way," the Doctor told him with a soft laugh, his gaze resting on Ianto as he held out his hand to the younger man. "It's hard not to tell what you're thinking ever since we've bonded. It's as if your thoughts cry out to me."

"I don't exactly try to keep them quiet," Ianto told him, getting up from his seat on the couch and moving across the room to stand beside the Doctor at the console. He wrapped one arm around the Time Lord's waist, pulling the other man close.

"What are you concentrating on so hard over here?" he asked, looking down at the console, then at the Doctor. "Is there somewhere that you're planning to take us? I haven't seen you look this excited since .... well, for a long time now. It's good to see."

"You haven't seen the planet we're going to," the Doctor told him, his voice rising with excitement. "It's a beautiful place, Ianto. You'll love it. It's very much like Earth, but different in ways, too. You'll love the golden sunsets, and the purple sky, and the red leaves on the trees --"

He broke off, looking a little embarrassed at his flow of words. "I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?" he asked, his expression contrite. "It's just that I love taking you to new places, love. Especially now, when I know that we have forever to share all these wonders."

"I love the fact that I can see all of these places -- but they wouldn't be nearly so wondrous to me if I wasn't with you while I'm experiencing them," Ianto said softly, pressing a kiss to the Doctor's cheek. "It's being with you that makes it all so worthwhile."

Was it his imagination, or did the Time Lord actually blush when he heard those words? Ianto couldn't hold back a smile at that; it was endearing to know that a man who was over nine hundred years old could actually still blush when he was complimented.

It was just another facet of that innocence that the Doctor still had, and that he would probably always have, until he was a very old man. Ianto hoped that he never lost it; that was one of the qualities that he loved most about this man.

No matter what sort of situation they were in, the Doctor could always find a way out of it. He was the most intelligent, resourceful, and pragmatic man Ianto had ever met. This was the person he would always want by his side, even if they hadn't been lovers and soul mates.

But the Doctor was also playful, fun-loving, and innocent in ways that were absolutely enchanting. That was a side of him that might make other people think that he wasn't as intelligent as he seemed, but Ianto knew differently -- and he would never wish that innocence gone.

He loved the Doctor exactly the way he was, even though the Time Lord wasn't perfect and never would be. He might not be what everyone wanted -- or even what most people thought they wanted. But he was all that Ianto needed to make him perfectly happy.

Having the Doctor by his side, as his lover and his soul mate, was enough to make him happy. Add to that the sense of fun and playfulness that the Doctor had, the innocent exuberance that always raised his spirits, and there was much more to his love for the Time Lord.

The Doctor could always make him feel that there were infinite possibilities in the universe, no matter how dark things might look. He could always raise Ianto's spirits, and make him feel as though he was flying high. That innocence was a large part of his ability to do so.

The Time Lord was almost bouncing on his heels now, a happy smile spreading across his face. He was so eager to show Ianto this new planet that he'd never seen before -- and Ianto couldn't wait to see it, to share the Doctor's childlike pleasure in discovering it.

The exuberance, that innocence, was something that he was sure the Doctor would never lose. It might have seemed to disappear for a while, but he didn't doubt that it was back now, in full force -- and he was sure that it wasn't going to vanish again.

"Come on, love," he said softly, his own smile matching the Doctor's. "Let's go see this planet. It sounds like a marvelous place -- and if you love it so much, I know that I'm going to love it, too." He hugged the Doctor close against his side, feeling happy and relaxed.

"Right you are, then!" the Doctor exclaimed, leaning over the console and pressing a few buttons. "Let's go have a good time! Allons-y!" He straightened up to smile at his young lover, the innocent zest for the world of wonders around them shining in his dark eyes.

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