Chicken Jack: The Before and After
Ianto sighed and buried his face in his hands, he lifted his head slightly when he felt a wing rest on his knee and smiled tiredly at his boss and lover.
“I have half a mind to not give you your wrist strap back if...no, when we get you back to being a human. You playing with it just seems to cause problems.
*****
“Jack, we are in the middle of a field full of chickens that are pecking at an alien device. Shouldn’t we be doing something about it?” Ianto asked, stepping carefully and trying to avoid the chickens.
“Nah, that device is completely harmle...”
Jack cut off suddenly and Ianto spun around to see what was wrong but all he could find was a pile of Jack’s clothes, no Jack.
“Jack?” Ianto called, making his way carefully to the pile of clothing. “Jack, this is no time for naked hide and seek!”
Ianto picked up his coat and a chicken tumbled out. It squawked in surprise when it hit the ground and sat staring at Ianto, stunned, before it ruffled its feathers and ran off, getting lost in a sea of other chickens.
Ianto looked from Jack’s greatcoat to where the chicken ran off and back to Jack’s greatcoat in shock.
“Oh shit.” Ianto moaned. “Jack’s a chicken”
*****
Ianto woke up and cuddled into the warm weight behind him, relaxing and nearly falling back to sleep before his eyes snapped open in panic.
There was someone else in the bed with him.
Ianto struggled to get out of the covers until a heavy, strong, familiar arm fell across his waist and pulled him back into the familiar curve of Jack’s body.
“Shhh.” Jack’s voice floated out of the darkness. “It’s just me Yan.”
“Jack?” Ianto asked, sighing in relief when he felt familiar lips press against the back of his neck. “Are you okay? You were a chicken for so long. I thought I was never going to get you back Jack.”
“I’m sorry.” Jack murmured, pulling Ianto closer. “I’m fine. Promise.”
“What turned you back?” Ianto asked. “So you know in case it happens again.”
“I turned back myself.” Jack told him. “I figured it would be easier to deal with a weeklong sex ban as a chicken, where my biggest worry was when the next meal was coming, than as a human where I would have been thinking about it constantly.”
“You chose to change back? You had the choice this whole time?” Ianto asked, body tensing.
“I was stuck as a chicken for the first 24 hours or so but after that it was pretty much my choice.”
Ianto shoved away from Jack and rolled off the bed.
“I have been worrying myself to death that you were going to be stuck a chicken for the rest of your life and you were choosing to stay a chicken because it would be easier to deal with the sex ban.” Ianto glowered down at Jack, taking pleasure in the way he flinched slightly. "Well I hope you enjoyed being a chicken Jack because it was a pointless exercise. The sex ban starts now and it is two weeks.”
Ianto turned away and angrily climbed the ladder out of Jack’s bunker while Jack stared after him speechless.
END