Torchwood - A Curious Confirmation
Title: A curious confirmation
Characters: Gwen, Rhys (discussing Jack and Ianto)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys
Spoilers: Mentions Adrift, The Dead Line and minor plot references
Rating: NC-17
Summary:
Rhys is curious and quizzes Gwen on the status of Jack and Ianto's relationship.
A Curious Confirmation -------------------------------------- Gwen slowly sipped her glass of water, letting it flush out her system and wash away the perils of the day. It was a warm evening and she felt quite content with feeling the fresh liquid cool and calm her down.
“Gwen?” Rhys called suddenly from the bedroom, disturbing Gwen from her thoughts.
“On my way,” she called back and put the glass upside down on the draining board. She smiled as she entered the bedroom to see her husband still fiddling with his new phone. The brightness of the screen lit his face up with different colours in the darkness and he looked so focused. It made her laugh considering the fact that she had to deal with alien technology from the future and Rhys however could hardly manage a simple 21st century smart phone. After the recent business with the crazy alien phone lines, Rhys had decided to buy a brand new one and if she was honest it was quite a nice looking piece of tech. It was black and slim line with a flashing blue light reminding her of the Torchwood SUV. That had been an unsettling mission, all those people answering the phone and falling into coma like states. Especially when it happened to Jack. Gwen climbed into bed beside him and listened to him clumsily fumble around in an attempt to place the phone down on the bedside table. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and she loved it, she loved him. Safe and content from whatever was lingering around out there. “All sorted?” she asked with a yawn, shoving the covers away from her legs. It was way too hot for them during the summer. Time to purchase a lower tog from the nearest home department store she thought idly. “Yeah, numbers transferred, ring tone set and I’ve just beaten my high score at candy crush” She laughed at him. “Hark at ‘Mr Technology’, Jack will be offering you a job at the Hub before you know it.”
“Yeah… or not.” Rhys scoffed. There were a few moments of awkward silence between them. Rhys knew that despite all of the times he'd lent the Torchwood team a hand and even though he knew a considerable amount about alien life, he could never become the fourth member of the team. He didnt really want to, he knew he would never replace Tosh and Owen with their level of expertise and the feeling of being the outsider was permanently his to bare. The thing that he found the most difficult to swallow however, was knowing that Gwen was in danger on a daily basis and there was nothing at all he could do about it. When you love someone that much, you just want to be able to keep them safe. Fortunately Gwen was pretty good at handling herself. Something else crossed his mind. “Gwen”
“Yes sweetheart?” she smiled nervously and played with a stray strand of his hair. “Something that’s just crossed my mind, about Jack…” She looked directly into his eyes, concerned about the endless barrel of questions which could possibly arise about the mysterious Captain Jack Harkness. He composed his sentence. “When I was helping you guys the other day, you know… with the creepy alien phone stuff, I couldn’t help but notice that…” he paused for a moment, wondering if he should go on but after a gentle, encouraging nudge from Gwen, he decided that it was too late to stop now. “Well… I couldn’t help but notice that Ianto pretty much refused to move from Jack’s bedside, he would’ve stayed there even if Jack was never going to wake up, wouldn’t he?” She sighed softly, “yes, he would’ve, it would’ve destroyed Ianto if Jack had never emerged from that trance, I reckon he would’ve become quite depressed bless him and spent the rest of his life trying to find Jack a cure, even if it was futile."
“He does seems very close to Jack, that’s all.” Rhys concluded, now fiddling with strands of Gwen’s hair, looping it around his thumb. Gwen knew exactly just how ‘close’ Jack and Ianto were of late but she was rather curious as to how observant Rhys has been around her colleagues. “What exactly do you mean?” she asked innocently.
“Well how can I put it?" Rhys thought for a moment. "Jack is Ianto's boss just like I am Ruth’s and if it was me in that trance, I don’t think Ruth would’ve sat there holding my hand, talking to me for more than 13 hours, I think she’d try and book a holiday to the Maldives or something, first class flight.”
Gwen snickered slightly. “The thing is Rhys, Jack and Ianto actually have a… thing.”
“A thing?” he asked raising an eyebrow. “Yeah… a thing… thing…” Rhys gasped with realisation as he caught on to what she meant. “Oh a thing thing… wait a minute… they’re gay?” Rhys suddenly roared with laughter making Gwen jump so she elbowed him.
“Rhys, it’s more complicated than that” “Ianto’s banging the boss?” he continued with a grin. She rolled her eyes again and turned uncomfortably to look at him. “Do you have to be so blunt?” she hissed.
“Well no, but this is interesting news to me, Gwen! The handsome Jack Harkness is gay?” he exclaimed with a wave of his arm almost ripping some of Gwen’s hair out. “Rhys, I said it’s more compli…”
“I even asked him once, and the cheeky git denied it! What the hell is he playing at, then? I bet ladies across the whole of Cardiff are devastated, hell I used to be worried I'd lose you to that jawline and smile once upon a time ” Gwen pulled away from Rhys’ embrace and turned around properly so that she could talk to him.
“Jack is a complex creature and as I told you, from the 51st century but in that time people are apparently more flexible with their sexual partnerships" she explained.
“Oh so he’s bisexual?”
“Not exactly…”
“Ok…” He now wasnt sure exactly what to think.
“Jack is omnisexual which means men, women and… well anything else with a pulse really…”
“Aliens!” Rhys cried with amusement loud enough to wake the neighbours. “Will you keep your voice down!” she urged, regretting having this conversation in the first place.
“Jack shagged a weevil? I can’t wait till I see him next!” Rhys was still chuckling to himself. “I have the upper hand now.”
“Jack isn’t easily phased by insults, Rhys, he’ll take anything that you throw at him as a compliment and for your information, he has not shagged a weevil…I think…”
A few more moments of silence passed. “What about Ianto?” Rhys continued. Gwen smiled slightly, she admired Ianto dearly. “Ianto isn’t gay I dont think but he keeps himself quite closed he's just ended up falling for Jack." Gwen felt a pang of guilt inside her, Rhys was right, once upon a time she did have some kind of complex desire towards Jack, but then who doesnt? After the whole thing with Owen she had decided that was her harsh wakeup call. She loves Rhys Williams, she married Rhys Williams.
“I like Ianto” Rhys admitted “he seems like such a well mannered, polite young man but I can’t picture him in a relationship with Jack, its odd.”
Gwen yawned for the second time, “I know, but there are definite feelings there and Ianto isn’t so innocent, I once walked in on him and Jack half naked in our Torchwood hothouse…” Rhys roared with laughter again. “No way! Really?”
“Yeah.” Gwen couldn’t help but laugh, it always made her giggle remembering their guilty faces.
"The room with all the creepy plants?" "Yes " she laughed, “I wanted to talk to Jack about a missing boy but I ended up walking in on them... well you can guess and this was all after a game of naked hide and seek apparently …” Rhys looked shocked. “Oh...so they’re that close?" Gwen snuggled back into Rhy’s embrace. “Yes, and as the days go by I think they're only getting closer."