(no subject)
Jack had been gone for three weeks, and the team had been back from the Himalayas for one. Tosh still shivered whenever she thought about the consuming cold of the mountains, the snow interfering with her instruments even when she could get her numb fingers to cooperate. They'd all been miserable then, broken with the loss of Jack, and sick with the constant failure of their mission.
But now they were back, after one long flight and several days off, and things were slowly normalising. Gwen and Owen were sniping at each other while Tosh kept her head down and worked on her time program. Ianto often disappeared into the archives, leaving the tourist office closed for the day, but even that wasn't unusual. After Lisa he'd taken more responsibility with the filing, working to make sure that any information they needed would be available.
So it surprised her when one night (thirty-four days after Jack, her mind automatically inserted), she answered a knock on her flat door and found Ianto standing outside.
"Is something wrong?" she asked on autopilot, scrolling through lists of predicted Rift flare-ups in her head and coming up empty.
"No, nothing," he said, voice hoarse. "I just...didn't want to go home."
"Oh."
She didn't ask questions, didn't point out that he was losing weight again, that there were deep circles under his eyes. Tosh herself had been having nightmares, Abaddon and Owen's blood on the concrete floor and the inexplicable, chilling laughter of children. She was afraid that if she asked Ianto about them, he'd say he was startled awake by the same sense of wrongness. So instead she just reeled him through the door, hand startlingly pale on the dark wool of his jacket.
"I think Rear Window's on rerun in fifteen minutes," Tosh said, about to turn and head into the living room. "I could order some-"
Ianto's mouth slamming onto hers was unexpected, more than his grip on her hand being used to pull her into him.
She almost pulled back, almost broke away - back to friendly touches, movies until they fell asleep, take-out because neither one had the energy or inclination to care about cooking. But Ianto's tongue was running across her closed lips and his hand was warm on hers.
And Jack was gone, and Owen was a moron, and so what if they were lonely?
She opened her mouth to Ianto's and he licked his way inside, his tongue sliding across the backs of her teeth as his free hand slid under the hem of her blouse. She let him thumb the bottom two buttons open before stopping him.
"You know where the bedroom is," she whispered, afraid to speak too loudly or look too closely at him.
He slid his mouth down and nodded into her neck, mouthing the hollow of her clavicle.
He walked backwards down the hall, pulling her after him, sucking a mark next to the lowest part of her collar. Sitting her down on the bed, thankfully made that morning before she left for work, he kneeled down and pulled her heels off, setting them to the side.
Her breath hitched when he looked up, through his lashes, at her, and laid a firm kiss right above her ankle. He trailed his hands up the outsides of her bare legs, running them under the hem of her skirt as his mouth followed. Past her knee, up into the soft skin of her inner thigh. He finally broke eye contact and stood up, guiding her higher onto the bed and down onto her back. She quickly started unbuttoning her blouse, feeling like if she waited too long or questioned this he would remember that she was just the techie, that he had been having sex with an intergalactic playboy, that he was just lonely or drunk - although she hadn't tasted liquor in his mouth.
He looked up from his removal of her skirt and quirked the corner of his mouth up at her, like he could hear what she was thinking. Long fingers deftly flicked open the clasp of her bra while Tosh said a quick mental thank you for putting on something that was cute and closed in the front.
"You're beautiful," she heard Ianto say. He was looking her in the eye, not staring at her breasts. She smiled shyly and shook her head.
"No, really," he said, leaning back down and tossing her panties over the side of the bed. "You're gorgeous."
And then his mouth was sliding down her stomach, tracing around her bellybutton.
He didn't hesitate like most of the men she'd slept with, and didn't tease like Mary had. She came faster and harder under his tongue, his long fingers stroking her from the inside out, than she ever had.
When he kissed her afterwards the salty taste of herself overlaid everything as Ianto's hand moved slowly on her breast. When she tried to move him so she could reciprocate, he shook his head gently, even though she could feel his erection hot and hard against her thigh. Instead he kissed her with wet and swollen lips, softer and softer, moving his other hand through her loose hair, until she fell asleep.
When she woke up in the morning, she was surprised to see he was still there, scrunched down among her disheveled sheets, face in her ribs and arm thrown over her belly. She didn't wake him, just laid a tentative hand on his hair and turned her face back into the pillow, determined to keep this one morning for herself.
****
The next time he came by she slammed him against the hallway wall, afraid to take her mouth off his until she heard him laughing softly.
She felt him straightening up more than she saw it. It was easy to forget how tall he was when he hung back along the walls of the Hub, politely not looming over her or Gwen. Unlike Jack, who had never been a fan of personal space, or Owen, who was never afraid to press an advantage.
She was startled out of ranking the team by height when Ianto's hand tickled behind her knees. Shrieking, she was lifted into the air.
"Come on, then," he said, smiling down at her.
She had to hide her laughter in his collar, unable to stop giggling, unafraid that she would be dropped.
But now they were back, after one long flight and several days off, and things were slowly normalising. Gwen and Owen were sniping at each other while Tosh kept her head down and worked on her time program. Ianto often disappeared into the archives, leaving the tourist office closed for the day, but even that wasn't unusual. After Lisa he'd taken more responsibility with the filing, working to make sure that any information they needed would be available.
So it surprised her when one night (thirty-four days after Jack, her mind automatically inserted), she answered a knock on her flat door and found Ianto standing outside.
"Is something wrong?" she asked on autopilot, scrolling through lists of predicted Rift flare-ups in her head and coming up empty.
"No, nothing," he said, voice hoarse. "I just...didn't want to go home."
"Oh."
She didn't ask questions, didn't point out that he was losing weight again, that there were deep circles under his eyes. Tosh herself had been having nightmares, Abaddon and Owen's blood on the concrete floor and the inexplicable, chilling laughter of children. She was afraid that if she asked Ianto about them, he'd say he was startled awake by the same sense of wrongness. So instead she just reeled him through the door, hand startlingly pale on the dark wool of his jacket.
"I think Rear Window's on rerun in fifteen minutes," Tosh said, about to turn and head into the living room. "I could order some-"
Ianto's mouth slamming onto hers was unexpected, more than his grip on her hand being used to pull her into him.
She almost pulled back, almost broke away - back to friendly touches, movies until they fell asleep, take-out because neither one had the energy or inclination to care about cooking. But Ianto's tongue was running across her closed lips and his hand was warm on hers.
And Jack was gone, and Owen was a moron, and so what if they were lonely?
She opened her mouth to Ianto's and he licked his way inside, his tongue sliding across the backs of her teeth as his free hand slid under the hem of her blouse. She let him thumb the bottom two buttons open before stopping him.
"You know where the bedroom is," she whispered, afraid to speak too loudly or look too closely at him.
He slid his mouth down and nodded into her neck, mouthing the hollow of her clavicle.
He walked backwards down the hall, pulling her after him, sucking a mark next to the lowest part of her collar. Sitting her down on the bed, thankfully made that morning before she left for work, he kneeled down and pulled her heels off, setting them to the side.
Her breath hitched when he looked up, through his lashes, at her, and laid a firm kiss right above her ankle. He trailed his hands up the outsides of her bare legs, running them under the hem of her skirt as his mouth followed. Past her knee, up into the soft skin of her inner thigh. He finally broke eye contact and stood up, guiding her higher onto the bed and down onto her back. She quickly started unbuttoning her blouse, feeling like if she waited too long or questioned this he would remember that she was just the techie, that he had been having sex with an intergalactic playboy, that he was just lonely or drunk - although she hadn't tasted liquor in his mouth.
He looked up from his removal of her skirt and quirked the corner of his mouth up at her, like he could hear what she was thinking. Long fingers deftly flicked open the clasp of her bra while Tosh said a quick mental thank you for putting on something that was cute and closed in the front.
"You're beautiful," she heard Ianto say. He was looking her in the eye, not staring at her breasts. She smiled shyly and shook her head.
"No, really," he said, leaning back down and tossing her panties over the side of the bed. "You're gorgeous."
And then his mouth was sliding down her stomach, tracing around her bellybutton.
He didn't hesitate like most of the men she'd slept with, and didn't tease like Mary had. She came faster and harder under his tongue, his long fingers stroking her from the inside out, than she ever had.
When he kissed her afterwards the salty taste of herself overlaid everything as Ianto's hand moved slowly on her breast. When she tried to move him so she could reciprocate, he shook his head gently, even though she could feel his erection hot and hard against her thigh. Instead he kissed her with wet and swollen lips, softer and softer, moving his other hand through her loose hair, until she fell asleep.
When she woke up in the morning, she was surprised to see he was still there, scrunched down among her disheveled sheets, face in her ribs and arm thrown over her belly. She didn't wake him, just laid a tentative hand on his hair and turned her face back into the pillow, determined to keep this one morning for herself.
****
The next time he came by she slammed him against the hallway wall, afraid to take her mouth off his until she heard him laughing softly.
She felt him straightening up more than she saw it. It was easy to forget how tall he was when he hung back along the walls of the Hub, politely not looming over her or Gwen. Unlike Jack, who had never been a fan of personal space, or Owen, who was never afraid to press an advantage.
She was startled out of ranking the team by height when Ianto's hand tickled behind her knees. Shrieking, she was lifted into the air.
"Come on, then," he said, smiling down at her.
She had to hide her laughter in his collar, unable to stop giggling, unafraid that she would be dropped.