Fic: The Sea After a Storm (94/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 94
Rating: R
Warnings: Possible spit take; please drink responsibly.
Spoilers: Season Two thru A Day in the Death (2x08)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who and all their wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which we find out what Jack has to say...
Notes: Happy New Year everyone! Sorry for the lateness of posting but it turned out rather brilliantly timing-wise! I'll post a chapter a day all weekend if I can. :) You can find all the previous chapters of The Sea After a Storm here. This is a sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks again and forever to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support and beta work; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Ninety-Four
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Ianto had been enjoying Jamie's New Year's Eve party until an unexpected guest appeared at the door...
Jamie darted a concerned look towards Ianto as Jack entered the flat. Ianto tried to smile reassuringly, but he wasn't sure he pulled it off. He watched the pantomime of Jamie offering to take Jack's coat, which Jack declined, and then offering to get him a drink, which Jack also declined. Jack barely spared a glance for Jamie - his eyes had been locked on Ianto since he'd walked in the door. When he started to walk towards Ianto, Jamie grabbed Jack's arm, pulling him close for a moment as he spoke into Jack's ear. Since Jamie had his back to Ianto, he didn't have a prayer of making out what Jamie was saying, and the hard expression on Jack's face didn't give anything away.
Jamie released Jack and followed him casually over to where Ianto was standing with Brendan, Ross and Mark. He quirked an eyebrow at Ianto, letting him know Jamie had his back.
"Ianto."
That was Jack's only greeting.
He gave Jack a faint smile, tamping down the hope that had sprung up at the sight of Jack in the doorway. The Captain did not look like a man on a peace mission. "Jack. You know Brendan and Jamie already," he stated tilting his head at his friends. "This is Mark Kendrick and Ross Jenkins."
"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said bluntly as the other men nodded amiably. Ross schooled his features quickly after his first recognition of Jack's name, but Jack didn't notice, he never dropped his eyes from Ianto.
"You know, I've always wondered just what it is you're a captain of," Jamie said conversationally.
"I was in the RAF."
"Well, that explains the damn coat at any rate," Jamie muttered.
Ianto rolled his eyes at Jamie and took a drink from his beer.
"Why'd you muster out?"
"Germany surrendered," Jack said.
Ianto choked on his beer, narrowly avoiding spitting it all over Brendan who began thumping him on the back as he coughed and sputtered. As his breathing began to return to normal, Brendan's helpful pats morphed into soothing strokes up and down his back and Jack's eyes narrowed dangerously. Ianto straightened and wiped his streaming eyes.
"Thanks," he said roughly to Brendan, stepping slightly away from the other man who dropped his hands after giving Ianto's shoulder an understanding squeeze.
Everyone else was offering solicitous remarks and no one was commenting on Jack's chronologically improbable statement, for which Ianto was grateful although he wished he'd been able to distract everyone with a little more dignity. Someone handed him a napkin, but when he reached for it, they didn't release their hold. He looked up.
"Can we talk?" Jack asked softly, letting go of the napkin. "Somewhere private maybe?"
"Yeah," Ianto replied with a nod, giving his mouth a quick swipe with the napkin. "Yeah, that'd be good, um..." He glanced around the crowded flat and made a quick decision. "Let me get my coat and we can take a walk?" he offered tentatively. He's rather not be trapped with dozens of people happily celebrating the New Year when Jack ended it once and for all.
Jack just nodded at his suggestion and strode back to the door of the flat where he crossed his arms and waited, presumably, for Ianto to join him.
Ianto drained the rest of his beer and cleared his throat. "I guess I'll be back in a bit," he said by way of excusing himself to the others.
Jamie took the empty bottle from him and waved it towards the spare room. "Get your coat, son, and take your time. Remember what we talked about."
"Yes, father," Ianto muttered, giving Jamie a smile of thanks that belied his sarcastic tone. He hurried to the spare room and grabbed his coat, scarf and gloves. He glanced out the window and stuffed a cap in his pocket as well. The snow wasn't coming down at the moment, but he knew that could change in an instant. He took a deep breath before heading back to the main room.
This was it. One way or the other, everything was about to be resolved.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Which way?" Jack asked as they stepped outside of Jamie's building.
Ianto pointed south as he pulled on his gloves. "Let's head towards Old Street," he suggested.
Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and led the way, his greatcoat billowing in the wind. Ianto followed, a few steps behind, debating whether he should start the conversation or wait to see what Jack had to say.
At the junction of City Road and Old Street, Jack paused and waited for Ianto to catch up. Wordlessly, Ianto gestured to the right and they turned west, walking shoulder to shoulder towards the heart of London. The streets were fairly quiet despite the holiday, the cold and snow keeping most revellers inside rather than spilling out of the crowded pubs.
They walked in silence for several minutes until, typically, they both started to speak at once.
"Jack -"
"Ianto -"
"Sorry, you go ahead -"
"No, really, you go on -"
They both stopped.
And then they both laughed.
Ianto darted a glance at Jack. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard Jack laugh at all, let alone at some shared amusement with Ianto. He felt the knot in his chest loosen a fraction as Jack grinned at him.
"Clearly we both have a lot to say," Jack observed. "Speaking as the winner of the Biggest Prick Award, I'll leave it up to you. Talk first or listen first? What's your poison?"
Ianto struggled for a moment, but finally decided that the majority of what he wanted to say depended on whether Jack was even interested in trying to rekindle their relationship, professional or otherwise. If Jack was just going to end it all and fire him on top of it, he didn't want to bare his soul before the axe fell. "Listen," Ianto finally said aloud.
"Right," Jack said, starting to walk again, the conversation lagging again for a minute as he gathered his thoughts. "Good, because before either of us says anything life changing, I owe you a big apology. Well, several big apologies. I'm sorry for yelling and for all the shitty things I said to you. I'm sorry for sneaking into your flat. I'm sorry I hurt your hand and for throwing my mug like a toddler having a tantrum. And I'm especially sorry for undermining your position with the team - that was truly unforgivable." Jack ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. "The only saving grace for me on that one is that no one else paid any attention except to tell me to stop being such a dickhead. I didn't mean one word of any of it, Ianto. I hope you'll believe me. I know I've been a complete tosser for weeks but I need you to know how sorry I am even if you can't forgive me. I've... okay, to be completely honest, I was sure you were finished with me, us, all of it and apparently I thought if I could just stay angry with you then it would hurt less when you finally told me to go to hell."
"Apparently?" Ianto asked, risking a slightly teasing tone.
Jack grimaced. "Tosh pointed it out to me a few days ago," he admitted reluctantly. "She accused me of behaving like a sullen teenager!"
"Hmmm... She called me a four year old," Ianto said with a chuckle. "Is that better or worse?"
Letting out a bark of laughter, Jack said, "I really don't know." After a moment's silence, he added reverently, "Thank god for Tosh."
"A sentiment I share often." After a short pause, Ianto added, "Thank you for saying all of that."
"I mean every word of it, Ianto, I swear."
Ianto nodded, trying to stifle the little voice in his head that was pointing out that Jack hadn't apologised for lying.
"Well, after the mental smack upside my thick head - another of Tosh's phrases by the way - I started thinking that maybe we still had a chance, even if it was just a ghost of one, if only we could talk. Trouble was, I'd done such a good job of driving you away, that I didn't even know where you were."
Ianto had to bite his tongue to keep from apologising. I had every right to leave after what happened, he told himself firmly.
"Just tracking your phone or your car felt like... cheating I guess, like if I deserved to find you, I really had to earn it. Anyway, after I staked out your flat for a couple of nights, I drove 'round your sister's estate a few times but didn't see any sign of you near her place either. Oh, don't worry," Jack reassured Ianto who looked over at him, worry clear on his face. "I didn't talk to anyone, just checked for your car. Then I tried a guy I know at UNIT, but thankfully you weren't on their visitor's logs at any of the bases so I figured Jamie was my best shot." Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced sideways at Ianto. "I'm glad you're here. I was more than a little worried you'd run to that kid."
"Well, I have to admit that it crossed my mind," Ianto said honestly. "Not for the reasons you think, but... yeah. But I wasn't ready to give up on us and going to Brendan would have felt like it, even if I didn't plan on anything happening."
Jack nodded. "So him showing up at Jamie's wasn't a plan?"
Ianto rolled his eyes and said, with as much patience as he could muster, "Brendan and Jamie are friends. Do you remember the other guy I introduced you to? The one called Ross?"
Shaking his head, Jack met Ianto eyes. "I only saw you."
"Well..." Ianto felt himself blushing. "Okay... be that as it may, Ross is Brendan's boyfriend. There's nothing going on between us." He bumped shoulders with a man walking the other direction and forced himself to look away from Jack and back towards the pathway in front of him.
"Right, sorry," Jack said. He blew out a long sigh. "I'm still fucking this up, aren't I?"
TBC
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/121619.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Rating: R
Warnings: Possible spit take; please drink responsibly.
Spoilers: Season Two thru A Day in the Death (2x08)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who and all their wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which we find out what Jack has to say...
Notes: Happy New Year everyone! Sorry for the lateness of posting but it turned out rather brilliantly timing-wise! I'll post a chapter a day all weekend if I can. :) You can find all the previous chapters of The Sea After a Storm here. This is a sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks again and forever to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support and beta work; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Ninety-Four
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Ianto had been enjoying Jamie's New Year's Eve party until an unexpected guest appeared at the door...
Jamie darted a concerned look towards Ianto as Jack entered the flat. Ianto tried to smile reassuringly, but he wasn't sure he pulled it off. He watched the pantomime of Jamie offering to take Jack's coat, which Jack declined, and then offering to get him a drink, which Jack also declined. Jack barely spared a glance for Jamie - his eyes had been locked on Ianto since he'd walked in the door. When he started to walk towards Ianto, Jamie grabbed Jack's arm, pulling him close for a moment as he spoke into Jack's ear. Since Jamie had his back to Ianto, he didn't have a prayer of making out what Jamie was saying, and the hard expression on Jack's face didn't give anything away.
Jamie released Jack and followed him casually over to where Ianto was standing with Brendan, Ross and Mark. He quirked an eyebrow at Ianto, letting him know Jamie had his back.
"Ianto."
That was Jack's only greeting.
He gave Jack a faint smile, tamping down the hope that had sprung up at the sight of Jack in the doorway. The Captain did not look like a man on a peace mission. "Jack. You know Brendan and Jamie already," he stated tilting his head at his friends. "This is Mark Kendrick and Ross Jenkins."
"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said bluntly as the other men nodded amiably. Ross schooled his features quickly after his first recognition of Jack's name, but Jack didn't notice, he never dropped his eyes from Ianto.
"You know, I've always wondered just what it is you're a captain of," Jamie said conversationally.
"I was in the RAF."
"Well, that explains the damn coat at any rate," Jamie muttered.
Ianto rolled his eyes at Jamie and took a drink from his beer.
"Why'd you muster out?"
"Germany surrendered," Jack said.
Ianto choked on his beer, narrowly avoiding spitting it all over Brendan who began thumping him on the back as he coughed and sputtered. As his breathing began to return to normal, Brendan's helpful pats morphed into soothing strokes up and down his back and Jack's eyes narrowed dangerously. Ianto straightened and wiped his streaming eyes.
"Thanks," he said roughly to Brendan, stepping slightly away from the other man who dropped his hands after giving Ianto's shoulder an understanding squeeze.
Everyone else was offering solicitous remarks and no one was commenting on Jack's chronologically improbable statement, for which Ianto was grateful although he wished he'd been able to distract everyone with a little more dignity. Someone handed him a napkin, but when he reached for it, they didn't release their hold. He looked up.
"Can we talk?" Jack asked softly, letting go of the napkin. "Somewhere private maybe?"
"Yeah," Ianto replied with a nod, giving his mouth a quick swipe with the napkin. "Yeah, that'd be good, um..." He glanced around the crowded flat and made a quick decision. "Let me get my coat and we can take a walk?" he offered tentatively. He's rather not be trapped with dozens of people happily celebrating the New Year when Jack ended it once and for all.
Jack just nodded at his suggestion and strode back to the door of the flat where he crossed his arms and waited, presumably, for Ianto to join him.
Ianto drained the rest of his beer and cleared his throat. "I guess I'll be back in a bit," he said by way of excusing himself to the others.
Jamie took the empty bottle from him and waved it towards the spare room. "Get your coat, son, and take your time. Remember what we talked about."
"Yes, father," Ianto muttered, giving Jamie a smile of thanks that belied his sarcastic tone. He hurried to the spare room and grabbed his coat, scarf and gloves. He glanced out the window and stuffed a cap in his pocket as well. The snow wasn't coming down at the moment, but he knew that could change in an instant. He took a deep breath before heading back to the main room.
This was it. One way or the other, everything was about to be resolved.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Which way?" Jack asked as they stepped outside of Jamie's building.
Ianto pointed south as he pulled on his gloves. "Let's head towards Old Street," he suggested.
Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and led the way, his greatcoat billowing in the wind. Ianto followed, a few steps behind, debating whether he should start the conversation or wait to see what Jack had to say.
At the junction of City Road and Old Street, Jack paused and waited for Ianto to catch up. Wordlessly, Ianto gestured to the right and they turned west, walking shoulder to shoulder towards the heart of London. The streets were fairly quiet despite the holiday, the cold and snow keeping most revellers inside rather than spilling out of the crowded pubs.
They walked in silence for several minutes until, typically, they both started to speak at once.
"Jack -"
"Ianto -"
"Sorry, you go ahead -"
"No, really, you go on -"
They both stopped.
And then they both laughed.
Ianto darted a glance at Jack. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard Jack laugh at all, let alone at some shared amusement with Ianto. He felt the knot in his chest loosen a fraction as Jack grinned at him.
"Clearly we both have a lot to say," Jack observed. "Speaking as the winner of the Biggest Prick Award, I'll leave it up to you. Talk first or listen first? What's your poison?"
Ianto struggled for a moment, but finally decided that the majority of what he wanted to say depended on whether Jack was even interested in trying to rekindle their relationship, professional or otherwise. If Jack was just going to end it all and fire him on top of it, he didn't want to bare his soul before the axe fell. "Listen," Ianto finally said aloud.
"Right," Jack said, starting to walk again, the conversation lagging again for a minute as he gathered his thoughts. "Good, because before either of us says anything life changing, I owe you a big apology. Well, several big apologies. I'm sorry for yelling and for all the shitty things I said to you. I'm sorry for sneaking into your flat. I'm sorry I hurt your hand and for throwing my mug like a toddler having a tantrum. And I'm especially sorry for undermining your position with the team - that was truly unforgivable." Jack ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. "The only saving grace for me on that one is that no one else paid any attention except to tell me to stop being such a dickhead. I didn't mean one word of any of it, Ianto. I hope you'll believe me. I know I've been a complete tosser for weeks but I need you to know how sorry I am even if you can't forgive me. I've... okay, to be completely honest, I was sure you were finished with me, us, all of it and apparently I thought if I could just stay angry with you then it would hurt less when you finally told me to go to hell."
"Apparently?" Ianto asked, risking a slightly teasing tone.
Jack grimaced. "Tosh pointed it out to me a few days ago," he admitted reluctantly. "She accused me of behaving like a sullen teenager!"
"Hmmm... She called me a four year old," Ianto said with a chuckle. "Is that better or worse?"
Letting out a bark of laughter, Jack said, "I really don't know." After a moment's silence, he added reverently, "Thank god for Tosh."
"A sentiment I share often." After a short pause, Ianto added, "Thank you for saying all of that."
"I mean every word of it, Ianto, I swear."
Ianto nodded, trying to stifle the little voice in his head that was pointing out that Jack hadn't apologised for lying.
"Well, after the mental smack upside my thick head - another of Tosh's phrases by the way - I started thinking that maybe we still had a chance, even if it was just a ghost of one, if only we could talk. Trouble was, I'd done such a good job of driving you away, that I didn't even know where you were."
Ianto had to bite his tongue to keep from apologising. I had every right to leave after what happened, he told himself firmly.
"Just tracking your phone or your car felt like... cheating I guess, like if I deserved to find you, I really had to earn it. Anyway, after I staked out your flat for a couple of nights, I drove 'round your sister's estate a few times but didn't see any sign of you near her place either. Oh, don't worry," Jack reassured Ianto who looked over at him, worry clear on his face. "I didn't talk to anyone, just checked for your car. Then I tried a guy I know at UNIT, but thankfully you weren't on their visitor's logs at any of the bases so I figured Jamie was my best shot." Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced sideways at Ianto. "I'm glad you're here. I was more than a little worried you'd run to that kid."
"Well, I have to admit that it crossed my mind," Ianto said honestly. "Not for the reasons you think, but... yeah. But I wasn't ready to give up on us and going to Brendan would have felt like it, even if I didn't plan on anything happening."
Jack nodded. "So him showing up at Jamie's wasn't a plan?"
Ianto rolled his eyes and said, with as much patience as he could muster, "Brendan and Jamie are friends. Do you remember the other guy I introduced you to? The one called Ross?"
Shaking his head, Jack met Ianto eyes. "I only saw you."
"Well..." Ianto felt himself blushing. "Okay... be that as it may, Ross is Brendan's boyfriend. There's nothing going on between us." He bumped shoulders with a man walking the other direction and forced himself to look away from Jack and back towards the pathway in front of him.
"Right, sorry," Jack said. He blew out a long sigh. "I'm still fucking this up, aren't I?"
TBC
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/121619.html. Please comment there using OpenID.