fic: brain freeze
title: Brain Freeze
pairing: Jack/Ianto
words: 1644
rating: PG
note: I found this icon today which is VERY appropriate =D It also reminds me of lele-leprechaun ♥ Anyway, I'm thinking this is set some time after the S2 finale. A little flangst (fluff & angst) for you based on Ianto's ice cream line in COE. Enjoy!
Brain Freeze
When Ianto came out of the sewers (after coming in the sewers...) he wasn't nearly ashamed as he ought to have felt. After all, he'd just had sex in one of the most filthiest, rat-infested places in Cardiff, but he simply couldn't wipe the smirk off his face.
There was something about Jack that made Ianto want to have sex with him, all the time, even when the world was ending-especially when the world was ending (the world was always ending; apocalyptic sex was - in a word - sensational). Ianto recalled never being this horny with Lisa. What was it about Jack that made Ianto want to shag him on sight? That coat... that smile...
That bastard.
"Shame we didn't catch any weevils," Jack said, sounding none too thwarted about failing to bring back Janet a new playmate.
"No," Ianto squeaked as Jack grabbed his arse up the manhole ladder. "But we caught a trillion diseases instead."
"It was your idea."
It was Ianto's idea and, again, he should have felt something akin to shame, but he still couldn't stop smiling. But it's not like Ianto made up a fake Weevil signal in Splott and pounced on Jack the moment they climbed down the manhole...
Well, maybe it was a bit like that. But Gwen had been awfully clingy since Tosh and Owen died so it was difficult for Ianto and Jack to find moments alone together. Gone were the days when weevil hunting was nothing but weevil hunting; nowadays weevil hunting was anything but weevil hunting (that is to say, dabbling in any way, shape or form).
The drive back to the Hub was a peaceful one, Jack driving calmly for a change. The hum of the SUV's engine lulled Ianto into a drowsy stupor. To prevent himself from falling asleep, Ianto switched on the radio. I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper filled the car. Jack groaned and flicked the radio off, earning a pout from the passenger in the front seat.
"I like that song." Ianto sulked.
"I don't," Jack replied, somewhat brusquely, and Ianto lifted an eyebrow at him to explain. "John-" that wasn't the ex-time agent's real name, but it was the only name Ianto knew him by, other than 'your clingy psycho ex' "-said it was our song." There was a pause. "His and mine."
"Ah," Ianto said with a slow nod. He tried to pretend as though he was amused by the idea of John being a romantic, but Ianto couldn't help but feel murderous rage whenever he thought about him, even if he had been controlled by Grey. Ianto wondered how many “our song”'s Jack had with past lovers...
"So what's our song?"
Ianto regretted the question as soon as he asked it, but he was curious. He was sure he and Jack could come up with something far better than I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper-
"We don't have a song."
Jack's words cut Ianto like a knife. Why shouldn't they have a song?
Because we're not a couple, Ianto thought darkly. Only couples have songs, and we're not a couple. We're an office romance.
Jack's face was unreadable, but Ianto noticed a change in his driving, Jack holding onto the steering wheel like a lifeline. The tension was palpable, Jack staring through the windscreen while Ianto stared at Jack, until finally Jack glanced at him, and a pointed look passed between them. There was hurt behind Ianto's eyes, and a sad callousness behind Jack's, and then Jack broke the gaze to look at the road, and Ianto was thankful Jack was suddenly a careful driver so he wouldn't get them killed, except Ianto thought Jack's words had made him die a little inside.
Ianto remained silent for the rest of the drive, pretending to be asleep, but he'd never been much of a talker anyway, so the atmosphere in the SUV was no different than usual.
***
The next day Ianto found himself sitting on the steps by the National Assembly building. It was a sweltering afternoon, a rarity for Cardiff, and Ianto took advantage of the sunshine by sitting outside during his break from looking at computer monitors all day. Ianto's jacket was hanging on the coat stand in Jack's office, next to Jack's greatcoat.
"Hey," came a soft voice.
Ianto looked up and met Jack's smiling eyes. Jack was stood over Ianto holding two ice cream cones. Ianto spotted an ice cream van in the distance, surrounded by a crowd of hungry children. He eyed the ice cream in Jack's hands and stupidly thought Jack must have been really hungry, until Jack held out one cone for Ianto.
"Peace offering," Jack said.
It was usually the other way round, Ianto delivering the refreshment, so it was a nice surprise. It was just a shame Ianto didn't like ice cream because it gave him a headache, not that Ianto had the heart to tell Jack that. Besides, his mam always taught him not to waste food, so he took the cone from Jack.
"I didn't realize we were at war, sir."
When Ianto called Jack "sir", and not in a cheeky way, something was definitely up. Jack shrugged and sat next to Ianto.
"You've been kinda quiet today," Jack made an observation.
Ianto wasn't the loudest person in Torchwood, but he'd come out of his shell a lot the past year, so for him to revert back to his withdrawn ways was a sign that something was wrong.
Rather than tell Jack what his problem was, Ianto started on his ice cream. Within four licks, his head started to hurt.
"Ow," Ianto winced, clutching his forehead.
"Your scar hurting again, Harry Potter?"
Ianto jabbed Jack's side with his elbow, almost making Jack drop his cone.
"Brain freeze," Ianto grunted as an explanation to his suffering.
Jack looked confused, which probably meant he didn't know what a brain freeze was, which probably meant he had never even experienced a brain freeze.
"You've never had a brain freeze?" Ianto said in disbelief.
Jack shook his head, and it was really rather filthy what he was doing to that ice cream. All that tongue...
"Well," Ianto said with a hint of a smirk, "you know what they say about people who never have brain freezes."
If Jack had never heard of a brain freeze, it was very unlikely he'd ever heard what they said about people who never have brain freezes. Ianto looked like he was dying for Jack to ask him, so he did.
"What do they say, Ianto?"
"That they don't have enough brain cells."
Ianto felt something very cold against the side of his face. He touched his cheek and was met with runny ice cream on his fingertips.
His boss had smushed ice cream in his face.
Ianto's mouth hung open.
"Now we're at war," scoffed Ianto, poking his own dessert in Jack's face.
And that was how an ice cream fight between two fully grown men began. Their laughter echoed throughout Cardiff Bay as they tussled on the steps while onlookers stared at them funny.
"Ah! Jack, that's cold!" Ianto yelped, shivering from the melted ice cream trickling down his neck. Jack pinned Ianto on his back, bent down and licked Ianto's carotid pulse, feeling it beat wildly against his tongue.
It was all fun and games, as usual. It was silly moments like this, when they almost behaved like a children (naked hide and seek was a prime example, though the naked part was for adults only), that gave them a break from the seriousness of their jobs. But when neither of them had the energy to continue covering the other in frozen dessert, Ianto couldn't stop the hurt that returned in his eyes when his mind wandered back to what Jack said last night.
"Jack," Ianto breathed, staring up at Jack's sticky face. Jack let out a long, sad sigh.
"We don't have a song," Jack said gently, with something of a pained smile, "because songs have an end."
Comprehension dawned on Ianto's face. He thought his relationship with Jack had meant so little to him, it didn't even merit a love song. But the fact of the matter was, Ianto was so important to Jack, Jack didn't want them to have a song, because he never wanted to stop dancing with Ianto. He only wished Jack had told him that last night, but that would have been too easy.
"Everything has an end," Ianto remarked realistically, sitting up.
Jack turned his head to stare out at the waters of the Bay, eating what little ice cream he had left.
"Not me."
There were moments when Ianto's heart ached for Jack. This was one of them.
"Jack-"
"Ow!" Jack clutched his head painfully. "Ow. Ianto, what's happening?"
A strangely proud grin lit Ianto's face. "I think you're having your first brain freeze."
For a moment Jack looked delighted that he had enough brain cells to have a brain freeze, but not for long, for the pain seemed unbearable.
"It hurts, Ianto," Jack complained, like a young boy who'd grazed his knees.
"You've been electrocuted, shot, and tortured," Ianto ticked off his fingers, "but you can't handle a little brain freeze?"
Jack just whimpered. "Make the pain go away."
Ianto couldn't say no to that. He leaned over and kissed Jack. Ianto wouldn't have been surprised if Jack exaggerated the pain to get a kiss out of him. Jack could have faked a brain freeze for all Ianto cared.
Ianto pulled away with a smile. "Better?"
Jack nodded. "Much."
"Was that brain freeze real or fake?" Ianto asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"You'll never know." Jack grinned. "That's the beauty of it."
Ianto just smiled. "Come on." He pulled Jack up. "Let's get cleaned up."
pairing: Jack/Ianto
words: 1644
rating: PG
note: I found this icon today which is VERY appropriate =D It also reminds me of lele-leprechaun ♥ Anyway, I'm thinking this is set some time after the S2 finale. A little flangst (fluff & angst) for you based on Ianto's ice cream line in COE. Enjoy!
Brain Freeze
When Ianto came out of the sewers (after coming in the sewers...) he wasn't nearly ashamed as he ought to have felt. After all, he'd just had sex in one of the most filthiest, rat-infested places in Cardiff, but he simply couldn't wipe the smirk off his face.
There was something about Jack that made Ianto want to have sex with him, all the time, even when the world was ending-especially when the world was ending (the world was always ending; apocalyptic sex was - in a word - sensational). Ianto recalled never being this horny with Lisa. What was it about Jack that made Ianto want to shag him on sight? That coat... that smile...
That bastard.
"Shame we didn't catch any weevils," Jack said, sounding none too thwarted about failing to bring back Janet a new playmate.
"No," Ianto squeaked as Jack grabbed his arse up the manhole ladder. "But we caught a trillion diseases instead."
"It was your idea."
It was Ianto's idea and, again, he should have felt something akin to shame, but he still couldn't stop smiling. But it's not like Ianto made up a fake Weevil signal in Splott and pounced on Jack the moment they climbed down the manhole...
Well, maybe it was a bit like that. But Gwen had been awfully clingy since Tosh and Owen died so it was difficult for Ianto and Jack to find moments alone together. Gone were the days when weevil hunting was nothing but weevil hunting; nowadays weevil hunting was anything but weevil hunting (that is to say, dabbling in any way, shape or form).
The drive back to the Hub was a peaceful one, Jack driving calmly for a change. The hum of the SUV's engine lulled Ianto into a drowsy stupor. To prevent himself from falling asleep, Ianto switched on the radio. I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper filled the car. Jack groaned and flicked the radio off, earning a pout from the passenger in the front seat.
"I like that song." Ianto sulked.
"I don't," Jack replied, somewhat brusquely, and Ianto lifted an eyebrow at him to explain. "John-" that wasn't the ex-time agent's real name, but it was the only name Ianto knew him by, other than 'your clingy psycho ex' "-said it was our song." There was a pause. "His and mine."
"Ah," Ianto said with a slow nod. He tried to pretend as though he was amused by the idea of John being a romantic, but Ianto couldn't help but feel murderous rage whenever he thought about him, even if he had been controlled by Grey. Ianto wondered how many “our song”'s Jack had with past lovers...
"So what's our song?"
Ianto regretted the question as soon as he asked it, but he was curious. He was sure he and Jack could come up with something far better than I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper-
"We don't have a song."
Jack's words cut Ianto like a knife. Why shouldn't they have a song?
Because we're not a couple, Ianto thought darkly. Only couples have songs, and we're not a couple. We're an office romance.
Jack's face was unreadable, but Ianto noticed a change in his driving, Jack holding onto the steering wheel like a lifeline. The tension was palpable, Jack staring through the windscreen while Ianto stared at Jack, until finally Jack glanced at him, and a pointed look passed between them. There was hurt behind Ianto's eyes, and a sad callousness behind Jack's, and then Jack broke the gaze to look at the road, and Ianto was thankful Jack was suddenly a careful driver so he wouldn't get them killed, except Ianto thought Jack's words had made him die a little inside.
Ianto remained silent for the rest of the drive, pretending to be asleep, but he'd never been much of a talker anyway, so the atmosphere in the SUV was no different than usual.
***
The next day Ianto found himself sitting on the steps by the National Assembly building. It was a sweltering afternoon, a rarity for Cardiff, and Ianto took advantage of the sunshine by sitting outside during his break from looking at computer monitors all day. Ianto's jacket was hanging on the coat stand in Jack's office, next to Jack's greatcoat.
"Hey," came a soft voice.
Ianto looked up and met Jack's smiling eyes. Jack was stood over Ianto holding two ice cream cones. Ianto spotted an ice cream van in the distance, surrounded by a crowd of hungry children. He eyed the ice cream in Jack's hands and stupidly thought Jack must have been really hungry, until Jack held out one cone for Ianto.
"Peace offering," Jack said.
It was usually the other way round, Ianto delivering the refreshment, so it was a nice surprise. It was just a shame Ianto didn't like ice cream because it gave him a headache, not that Ianto had the heart to tell Jack that. Besides, his mam always taught him not to waste food, so he took the cone from Jack.
"I didn't realize we were at war, sir."
When Ianto called Jack "sir", and not in a cheeky way, something was definitely up. Jack shrugged and sat next to Ianto.
"You've been kinda quiet today," Jack made an observation.
Ianto wasn't the loudest person in Torchwood, but he'd come out of his shell a lot the past year, so for him to revert back to his withdrawn ways was a sign that something was wrong.
Rather than tell Jack what his problem was, Ianto started on his ice cream. Within four licks, his head started to hurt.
"Ow," Ianto winced, clutching his forehead.
"Your scar hurting again, Harry Potter?"
Ianto jabbed Jack's side with his elbow, almost making Jack drop his cone.
"Brain freeze," Ianto grunted as an explanation to his suffering.
Jack looked confused, which probably meant he didn't know what a brain freeze was, which probably meant he had never even experienced a brain freeze.
"You've never had a brain freeze?" Ianto said in disbelief.
Jack shook his head, and it was really rather filthy what he was doing to that ice cream. All that tongue...
"Well," Ianto said with a hint of a smirk, "you know what they say about people who never have brain freezes."
If Jack had never heard of a brain freeze, it was very unlikely he'd ever heard what they said about people who never have brain freezes. Ianto looked like he was dying for Jack to ask him, so he did.
"What do they say, Ianto?"
"That they don't have enough brain cells."
Ianto felt something very cold against the side of his face. He touched his cheek and was met with runny ice cream on his fingertips.
His boss had smushed ice cream in his face.
Ianto's mouth hung open.
"Now we're at war," scoffed Ianto, poking his own dessert in Jack's face.
And that was how an ice cream fight between two fully grown men began. Their laughter echoed throughout Cardiff Bay as they tussled on the steps while onlookers stared at them funny.
"Ah! Jack, that's cold!" Ianto yelped, shivering from the melted ice cream trickling down his neck. Jack pinned Ianto on his back, bent down and licked Ianto's carotid pulse, feeling it beat wildly against his tongue.
It was all fun and games, as usual. It was silly moments like this, when they almost behaved like a children (naked hide and seek was a prime example, though the naked part was for adults only), that gave them a break from the seriousness of their jobs. But when neither of them had the energy to continue covering the other in frozen dessert, Ianto couldn't stop the hurt that returned in his eyes when his mind wandered back to what Jack said last night.
"Jack," Ianto breathed, staring up at Jack's sticky face. Jack let out a long, sad sigh.
"We don't have a song," Jack said gently, with something of a pained smile, "because songs have an end."
Comprehension dawned on Ianto's face. He thought his relationship with Jack had meant so little to him, it didn't even merit a love song. But the fact of the matter was, Ianto was so important to Jack, Jack didn't want them to have a song, because he never wanted to stop dancing with Ianto. He only wished Jack had told him that last night, but that would have been too easy.
"Everything has an end," Ianto remarked realistically, sitting up.
Jack turned his head to stare out at the waters of the Bay, eating what little ice cream he had left.
"Not me."
There were moments when Ianto's heart ached for Jack. This was one of them.
"Jack-"
"Ow!" Jack clutched his head painfully. "Ow. Ianto, what's happening?"
A strangely proud grin lit Ianto's face. "I think you're having your first brain freeze."
For a moment Jack looked delighted that he had enough brain cells to have a brain freeze, but not for long, for the pain seemed unbearable.
"It hurts, Ianto," Jack complained, like a young boy who'd grazed his knees.
"You've been electrocuted, shot, and tortured," Ianto ticked off his fingers, "but you can't handle a little brain freeze?"
Jack just whimpered. "Make the pain go away."
Ianto couldn't say no to that. He leaned over and kissed Jack. Ianto wouldn't have been surprised if Jack exaggerated the pain to get a kiss out of him. Jack could have faked a brain freeze for all Ianto cared.
Ianto pulled away with a smile. "Better?"
Jack nodded. "Much."
"Was that brain freeze real or fake?" Ianto asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"You'll never know." Jack grinned. "That's the beauty of it."
Ianto just smiled. "Come on." He pulled Jack up. "Let's get cleaned up."