untitled Janto shmoop
Title: Untitled Janto Shmoop
Author: Ayankha
Rating: PG-ish
Genre/Warnings: h/c, slash, Jack angst, and very slight Ianto angst in the first paragraph.
Summary: He'd been to the end of universe and back, but there's no place like home.
Spoilers/Author's Notes: none/i'm a non-active member who hasn't even been by lurking since 2008.... so what makes me qualified to post fic? nothing, but this was eating away at my muse. It was the beginning of a longer fic, but the plot bunny curled up and died before it could become anything. I thought this was sweet enough to post on its own, so here I am sharing. written after i watched s2, but set after Last of the Time Lords and definitely AU. This has been sitting on my flash drive for a long bit while I worked up the courage to post it. Un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine. Reviews help my self-esteem.
Five friends sat together laughing and carefree. If anyone actually knew them, they would know that these five people weren’t actually friends, but co-workers. But on this night, these three handsome men and two beautiful women passed as friends to the outside world. They sat in a corner booth lined by windows on one side. One of the men looked out into the night as he finished of his drink. Then he looked back to his companions. "I think I’ll call it a night guys," he says as he makes to get up. The other four look at him with understanding expressions. After all the man had died to save the world, gone missing for weeks, and had apparently lived a year that no longer existed. He was due for some rest. One of the other men looked at him expectantly, but whatever he was hoping for, he didn’t get it. The man was halfway to the door when he stopped. Without turning around, he brought his hand out behind him. The other smiled and said his goodbyes to the rest of their group and followed the first out.
The two men walked in silence down the busy Cardiff street. It was a nice night, clear, crisp, and warm. As they neared their destination, the second spoke. "You’ve been distant since you returned," he said quietly.
"Just have a lot to think about," the first replied. "You would think a year spent chained in a boiler room with nothing to do but die over and over again would be enough time, but it isn’t."
"We’ve missed you," the other said as he slipped his hand into his companion’s. "I mean, first you’re dead for a week and then you just disappear off the face of the earth for another two."
The first turned to the second and smiled. "I missed you guys too." He leaned over a placed a chaste kiss on his lover’s lips. "Let’s get inside and I’ll tell you everything."
"Finally, the great Captain Jack Harkness reveals all his secrets," the lover goaded.
"Ianto," Jack replies teasingly. He walks backwards to the front door pulling Ianto with him. They kissed again as they entered the building. Ianto pulled away and pressed a small button under the front desk. A panel of wall slid back to reveal a staircase and lift. The two men stumble into the lift and kissed some more on the way down. "Nothing too extravagant tonight lover," Jack whispered against Ianto’s lips as they pulled apart for breath.
"As long as you hold me, I don’t care," Ianto whispered back.
Jack pulled away and looked Ianto in the eyes. A man who was totally lost without his captain stared back at him. "I’m not leaving again. I’ll always be here," he reassured his lover. "I thought if he came back, I’d go with him again, but not anymore. I belong here." He leaned in and kissed Ianto one last time before turning and going to his bed chamber. Ianto watched him for a moment before following behind.
Jack went straight into his bathroom to freshen up a bit. When he came back out, Ianto laid waiting in his bed. He immediately lay down beside him and gathered the younger man into his arms. Ianto just laid there, head on Jack’s chest, listening to him breathe. "Where did you go?" he asked the darkness.
"To the end of the universe and back," Jack replied. Ianto looked up at him for a moment before resting his head on Jack’s chest again.
"Who with?" Ianto questioned on.
"The Doctor and Miss Martha Jones," Jack whispered. "She’s a fiery one. Not like Rose, no one could ever come close to Rose, but Martha has a taste for adventure and an insatiable curiosity. Might ask her to come work with us soon. She certainly has enough experience."
"The Doctor? As in the Doctor?" Ianto asked incredulously. "You know the Doctor?"
"Yes," Jack said quietly. "Used to travel with him once upon a time. But he was a different man back then."
"What happened?"
"I died," Jack said so quietly it was barely audible. "And then Rose, sweet, innocent Rose, brought me back. And then they left."
Ianto wrapped his arm around Jack’s torso and squeezed. "Tell me about it, please?"
"How much do you want to know?"
Ianto pulled himself over Jack and looked down into his eyes. Then he placed a slow, sensual kiss on Jack’s lips and whispered in his ear. "Everything." Then he pulled back and searched Jack’s face for answers.
Jack pulled Ianto back down for another kiss. "Okay," he whispered against his lips. "Okay." Ianto settled back down by Jack’s side and waited. Jack took a deep breath and began. "I was born in the 51st century. The exact time and place doesn’t matter anymore. My home town was a small place. Everyone knew me. When I was recruited by the Time Agency, everyone was so proud. It was a wonderful job, full of excitement. You never knew where you were going, when it would be, what would happen. You just drifted through time, sometimes getting assignments to complete, other times just accidently walking into trouble. Then one day I woke up and realised that two years of my life were gone. Two years of no memories. I blamed the Agency and left.
"I went freelance after that. I was in London, 1941, when the Doctor found me. We had a few adventures together before we got hijacked. Ended up fighting Daleks. They killed me once. At that point, the Doctor had sent Rose home. She opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the time vortex, just to come back and save him. She could have been a goddess, but she was too innocent, too focused. She destroyed the Daleks and brought me back to life, permanently." Jack paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "He knew," he continued, his voice horse. "He knew and he left me because he was afraid. I still had my own time manipulator and I used it to get back. I landed somewhere in the late 19th century and I’ve been living ever since."
Ianto hugged Jack closer to him. He wasn’t sure who was comforted more by the gesture. "Why did you come back? You had the chance to travel through time again. Why did you give that up?"
"Because big changes are coming, and Earth needs at least one experienced person to help them deal. Because the Doctor won’t always be here when we need him, and we’ll need him a lot. Because," Jack paused. When he continued, his voice was softer. "Because no matter how much I love him, he’ll never love me back. We’re alone in this universe, he and I. He’ll never be able to let go of Rose, and I’ll never be able to love without loosing. Neither of us can die; me because it’s physically impossible, and him because the universe needs a Time Lord, and he is the last."
"You are not alone Jack," Ianto said quietly. "For as long as I live, I will be by your side. You won’t be able to get rid of me that easily."
Jack smiled and kissed Ianto’s hair. He didn’t understand. Ianto may be loyal until the day he died, but Jack couldn’t just stand back and watch his lover age while he stayed the same. Eventually he would die and Jack would be all alone again. "Let’s get some sleep," he whispered.