You're going to hate me... but the next chapter will be up in the morning. :)
Banner by my dear curious_wolf
The Corner, Chapter 8/?
Author: lady_Razzle
Pairings: Jack/Ianto Jack/Ten Ianto/Ten, Ianto/others
Summary: The only thing waiting in the dark is what you take in with you.
Warnings/AN: Spoilers to end of series. Most canon pairings referenced. There will be angst, and the shifting of time.
Disclaimer: Do not swear, and eat it.
Betad by my super secret curious_wolf.
Previous Chapters: Here
Download: Ryan Adams, come Pick Me Up
Chapter 8
Jack had positively run to the hub. He was giddy with excitement and only just coming to realise how homesick he had been.
Of course he loved his Doctor and on some level he knew that it was ridiculous to even consider refusing this incredible opportunity. But he felt the same way about his Cardiff. His ‘linear life’. And that was only going to happen once. In theory, he and The Doctor had forever.
The only time he had with Ianto, with his friends, was right now. Then. Jack’s head hurt and he stopped trying to think about it. He had never been entirely comfortable with fourth dimensional grammar.
It was dark, night-time, and Jack worried that that meant he had been gone for hours, since late morning, and his team would be worried. Either that, or he was early and he hadn’t left yet. He would have to lie low until he could reveal himself.
As he considered it, that idea had merit, as it offered the possibility of watching himself fucking Ianto and God, but if that wasn’t a pleasant prospect, he didn’t know what was.
He sneaked into the hub through reception. There was nobody around. They had all gone home. He went straight to the CCTV, making sure they weren’t still at his desk. There was nothing worse than walking in on yourself assaulting the teaboy on company property. That would just be awkward.
There was nobody there.
It was hard to be stealthy when overexcited, but Jack did his best. What hit him first was the lack of noise. Creeping toward his quarters there should have been grunts, groans, gasps. Was he too late for the main event, were they already asleep? Was he going to have to hurl a pen at Ianto to wake him up for another round?
‘Stealthy’ Jack crawled over to the edge and got very confused. Nobody in the bed. No Jack, no Ianto. Four-dimensional semantics jostled in his head.
It’s too early; I’m still dead. Gwen’s at my side. Ianto’s… somewhere. Dealing, like Ianto deals. I’m late; it’s twelve hours since I left. They don’t know where I am.
He felt a little hurt. Out loud, he asked why nobody was looking for him.
He returned to the hub, slowly, considering his state. Could they know? If Gwen had seen him leave, they would know he hadn’t been reluctant to go. Still, he felt a little wounded. He by no means wanted them to mooch around, sad that he had left without a word, but to just leave? He might have been on his way back. He might have needed their help.
How long, he wondered, had Tosh been standing in the doorway? Why wasn’t she speaking? Why was she shaking so much?
“Are you all right, beautiful?” he asked carefully.
She launched into his arms with such force that he stumbled back.
“Whoa there,” he said, grinning widely. His smile faded as he realised she was sobbing. “Hey,” he said softly as he tried to prise her away.
“There’s really only so many times I can celebrate you not being dead,” Tosh sobbed. “Stop making me do it!”
“Of course I’m not dead,” he said, as sympathetically as he could. “You know I can’t… Tosh, how long have I been gone?”
“We looked,” Tosh said, shaking her head. “We looked for so long. We just had to stop, I’m so sorry.”
“Tosh!” Jack said urgently.
“It’s August,” Tosh said quietly.
Jack shook his head.
“How is that possible? I haven’t even been travelling that long, I…” he noticed Tosh was trembling against him and pulled her back into his arms.
“Oh, God, we ought to call the others,” Tosh mumbled against his chest after a few moments of his comforting and oh-so-real embrace. “Gwen’ll go mad.”
Jack released her and let her go to the phone, where she sobbed her messages to the rest of the team. He walked around his own desk, wondering at the lack of change. These were his pens, his chair. There remained his precious sheep-shaped coaster and his Cardiff castle teaspoon. His computer, a note stuck to the screen with yellowing sellotape dictating that it should never be switched off.
He reached out to turn the screen on, interrupted by Tosh’s return, as she swept back to him and huddled under his arm.
“Gwen’s on her way. Owen’ll be a while, he’s on his way back from London.”
“Why isn’t his stuff all over the place?” Jack asked. “I would have thought there would be porn in the desk, at least.”
“There is,” Tosh observed.
“Only mine,” Jack pointed out.
Tosh snuggled closer.
“Interesting collection,” she said. “You’ve got some Niche interests.”
Jack grinned nostalgically. “Yeah, but we still need an answer to the Owen question,” he pressed.
“Sorry,” Tosh replied. “It’s just… Owen doesn’t really use this office.” Jack raised his eyebrow curiously. “Ianto… well, Ianto didn’t tell him not to, but he didn’t leave him in much doubt, you know? It was pretty obvious he wasn’t welcome to it.”
“And Owen listened to him?” Jack asked incredulously. “Why?”
“Because… do you want some coffee?” Tosh asked suddenly. Jack glared at her, implying that procrastination wouldn’t be welcome. Tosh sighed, conceding the point. “Ianto’s not quite what he used to be. He changed. He’s… scarier.”
“Scary Ianto?” Jack deadpanned.
“They went on a recon trip to Gloucester,” Tosh explained. “Came across a pair of Venuvian wardogs.”
“Fuck,” Jack said, pressing his fingers to his lips. “Was anyone hurt?”
Tosh shook her head.
“We don’t actually know what happened,” she said. “We just know Owen doesn’t yell at Ianto anymore. And there was Owen’s report.”
“Which said what?” Jack asked quietly. The answer came from the doorway.
“It said, ‘Ianto tore their fucking throats out. With his bare fucking hands.’,”
Jack looked up at Gwen, open-mouthed and in a rare moment of being lost for words.
“I got flashed getting here,” Gwen went on. “I’m going to get a ticket.”
“I’ll make it go away,” Jack promised.
Gwen became the second woman in an hour to burst into tears and throw herself into his arms. Their speech was garbled; Gwen’s reprimands and questions, Jack’s constant apologies and attempts at jokes.
“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Jack said eventually. “I didn’t think…” Gwen turned from him to look seriously at Tosh.
“Have you got hold of Ianto?” she said suddenly.
Tosh glanced between them and then shook her head, looking away.
“His phone’s off,” she said quietly.
“Keep trying?” Gwen asked politely.
“Isn’t that a worry?” Jack asked. “If he’s turning his phone off?”
Gwen slid out of his embrace and adopted a look of discomfort akin to Tosh’s.
“It’s Friday night,” she said, finally meeting Jack’s gaze. “We really don’t know where he’ll be.”
#
Ianto was at home. He let himself in and held the door for his new friend.
“Do you want a coffee, or anything?” he asked politely. The response was a firm shake of the head.
“Are you sure?” Ianto volunteered. “I make great coffee.”
“I’m sure you do,” the other man replied. “But coffee takes time and polite conversation. We can always do that after.”
“The direct approach,” Ianto observed, making short work of the visitor’s belt and fly. “I appreciate that.”
Ianto descended to his knees and was almost irritated to find himself stopped with a hand to his shoulder.
“Hey, I don’t even know your name.”
Ianto tipped his head to one side and smiled slowly. It would take someone very familiar with him to see how far away from his eyes it remained.
“You’ll live,” he assured his partner, before taking the half-hard cock into his mouth and thoroughly distracting him.
TBC…