While It Lasts
Title: While It Lasts.
Author: NathaliaMueller.
Fandom: Torchwood.
Genre: Angst / Romance.
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones.
Timeline: sometime after "Cyberwoman".
Warning: slash.
Word Count: 527.
Note: A drabble, not beta-ed. I didn't watch all of the episodes of Torchwood yet, just read fanfics and read all of the summaries (yeah, that's how I got interested in it).
"You okay?" Jack asks as he finds Ianto sitting on the stairs of the Hub late at night, crying. Only after saying this, he realizes that this is a very inappropriate question.
He silently sits down next to Ianto and puts a hand on the sobbing man’s back. Ianto doesn’t look up to him.
They stay this way for a while, Jack with his arm wrapped around Ianto, and neither of them can tell how long they just sit there, but after a while Ianto stops crying.
"It wasn’t about her," Ianto says suddenly, startling Jack.
"It’s okay," Jack reassured him, stroking the other man’s back.
Ianto looks up at the captain. "I mean it, sir. It wasn’t about her."
"What is it, then?"
Ianto gulps, looks away again. "It’s about me", he admits hesitantly. "I’m confused."
"Aren’t we all?" Jack sighs.
"You’re the reason for my confusion, sir."
"So it’s about Lisa."
"I told you, it isn’t. It’s about me ... maybe it’s a bit about her, but mostly about me and you."
"Want to talk about it?"
"It’s not really something I should talk to you about."
Jack pulls him closer, makes Ianto look into his eyes. "If you don’t talk to me, you won’t talk to anyone and we both know it. And if it’s about us ..."
Ianto rolls his eyes. "Okay, you asked for it. Don’t complain about it later." He shifts in Jack’s grip so that he can look at him better.
"I have already heard enough I didn’t want to hear. This, I want to hear," Jack grins.
Ianto takes a deep breath. "Lately, I have been wondering what is going on between us. You know, the casual sex. And I find myself enjoying this very much and I know I shouldn’t be doing that for all the obvious reasons."
Jack smiles at him. "But you do?"
"Yeah."
"So why are you crying?"
"Because it’s WRONG to be enjoying this."
"What is wrong about it?" The puzzlement in Jack’s voice is real, he really doesn’t understand why it’s so terrible for Ianto to enjoy the nights he is spending with Jack.
"You know it, sir."
Leaning closer, their noses almost touching, Jack whispers, "It’s okay, Ianto. It’s not like Lisa is watching you somewhere and will hold you responsible for who you spend your nights with. You shouldn’t make yourself feel guilty about it. You only have one life and it won’t be as long as mine, so enjoy it while it lasts."
"Is that a real, heartfelt pep-talk or just you wanting to get into my pants again?"
This actually makes Jack smile. "Both, I guess."
"Good that you haven’t lost your determination."
"So, you want to sit here alone a bit longer or come to my office with me?" With these words, Jack gets up. He looks down at Ianko questioningly, offers him his hand.
The Welshman can’t resist the smirk on Jack’s face and takes the hand his boss is offering. Maybe Jack is right. He can’t stop enjoying life, it’s not a bad thing that he can’t turn down Jack’s offer - that he doesn’t want to.