And So It Begins... Again: Part 3 (8/10)
Title: Part 3 - In Your Honour
Rating: 15 to NC17
* changes through the Part
Characters/Pairings: Team, Martha, Ten ; Jack/Ianto
Spoilers: S1, 2x01, Minor DW 3x12, 3x13
Warnings: Mild violence; M/M relations; ANGST
Summary: The day comes to a close, but nothing's ever easy in a Torchwood relationship...
[ The 'And So It Begins... Again' Saga ]
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to Russel T. Davies, I sadly don't own them... All lyrics belong to Foo Fighters
Author's Note: I'm so sorry about the ridiculously long waits between chapters at the moment.. it's partly because I'm completely smacked away with the sheer volume of *stuff* to do with my saxophone and school and stuff, but it's partly because I know I'm starting to run out of this series!
So, atm, I'm writing 3 other fics (a timetraveller one, a OASF installment and a Nine fic) and at least one of those will be finished reasonably soon. I'm thinking I might put this story on hiatus when i get to the end of Part 4, post whatever fic I have finished and write up the next few parts of this series, to come back and post again sometime around April, maybe March.
But yeah, that's not important for a while, just wanted to let you know my thoughts! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks to everyone who's reading (and Abby cos she's writing again!) - And because of my tardiness with posting, here's a long update for ya!
---
Chapter 8
“Secret fascination, whisper a quiet tune
Hear me callin' you, Virginia Moon, I'll wait for you tonight”
-Virginia Moon, Foo Fighters
Jack hadn’t laughed that much for a very long time. To be honest, be couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much that he’d cried. As he watched Graham Chapman fighting John Cleese as the Black Knight, he thought he may have passed out from lack of oxygen, laughing so hard, he simply forgot to breathe. Ianto had been in a similar state from just watching Jack’s reaction.
The simple fact that Jack had never seen the Pythons in action had spurred him on to put the other three DVDs in. When they got to the end of the final film, it was about lunchtime. Jack looked at his watch, wiping a stray tear from his eye and sighing happily.
All that laughing had made him hungry, and he’d eaten most of the pile of toast he’d made that morning. He pushed away the observation that Ianto’s half slice lay forgotten on the table with only a couple of bites taken from it.
“What shall I order in?” Jack sat up and ran his hands through his hair before looking over to Ianto.
“I’m not fussed… Pizza maybe?” Ianto smiled and Jack knew then that he wasn’t going to eat much of whatever it was he ordered in,
“Shall I just get one for us to split?” As Ianto nodded, Jack pulled his mobile out of his pocket and leaned forwards, elbows on knees, to hit the speed dial number for the local pizzeria.
He was distracted from ordering when Ianto stood up on the sofa and slid down into the gap behind him, wrapping his legs around his waist and slipping his arms over Jack’s chest, starting to kiss his bare neck gently.
When Jack started stammering a little over the phone, Ianto couldn’t help but chuckle, making Jack bite back a groan of pleasure and quickly end the order. As soon as the connection was cut, he let the groan out and sunk back into the young man’s embrace. Ianto was gently biting the flesh on Jack’s neck, making him unconsciously turn into it, a shiver of longing running through him.
“Mr. Jones, are you trying to seduce me?” Jack’s voice came out huskier than he expected, the strain of controlling his heart rate a little more than he’d anticipated. He felt Ianto smile against his skin before replying.
“Is it working?” The amusement was evident in his voice and Jack took the challenge. He snaked his hands around Ianto’s thighs and hoisted himself to his feet, Ianto clinging onto his back and humming against his neck as he made his way into the bedroom. Jack felt a small jolt in the region of his stomach at how light Ianto was, but was distracted when Ianto climbed off his back, onto the bed.
He stood on the end of the bed, arms around Jack’s shoulders and smiled down at him as the captain twisted around and looked up, a grin on his face. Ianto let out a small moan as Jack ran his hands under his t-shirt, running slowly along his stomach and moving his lips to place gentle kisses on the soft skin of his torso. Ianto shivered a little and wound his fingers into Jack’s hair to steady himself.
He felt Jack hum against his stomach and moved his hands, pulling the young man down onto his knees so they were more on the same level. Jack placed a hand on either side of Ianto’s face and kissed him slowly, gently - exploring his lover’s mouth as if for the first time.
Ianto found it intoxicating and they soon forgot about the outside world, linked together at the mouth as they discovered more about each other, losing themselves in the innocence of the act.
They were roused hesitantly back into reality at the sound of the doorbell from the other room as the pizza delivery boy tried to get their attention. Jack pulled back and growled in disapproval, kissing Ianto’s nose gently before moving off to find his wallet and retrieve his food. Ianto sat for a moment and listened to the low mumbles of the pleasantries Jack was exchanging with the boy at the door.
When Ianto heard him thanking the boy again, as a close for the conversation, he moved through to the kitchen area and flicked the kettle on. As his hand hovered over the switch, he noticed the slight tremble in his fingers. He stared at them for a while, trying to calm them, to stop the irrational behaviour, but nothing he could do stopped the shaking. He couldn’t bring himself to move. All he could do was stare down at his fingers.
After what seemed like a colossal use of strength, he managed to clench his fist tightly, which seemed to break the spell he was under. He quickly made up time and produced two coffees, taking them over to the sofa slowly, making sure his hands didn’t start to shake again. Setting them down, he sat back in his seat and curled up, hugging his knees to his chest and staring at the mug on the table in front of him.
He didn’t notice the look of concern on Jack’s face. He didn’t notice Jack at all. He couldn’t stop thinking about the shaking, the lack on control. He felt thoroughly disturbed.
“Ianto…?” He felt Jack’s hand on his back, moving round to his side and pulling him close, his other arm coming round to close him in, keep him safe. There were no words, nothing, that he could bring himself to say.
The uselessness of trying bit deep into Ianto’s mind and he started shaking again, having no control over his body at all. He tried to speak, he tried so hard to open his mouth and talk to Jack, but there was nothing. His muscles refused to obey him.
With a final, screaming effort, he managed a snarl of frustration. He could hear Jack muttering softly in his ear and one of his hands gently stroking his hair and he uncurled himself, moving a hand up to Jack’s face before he calmed himself down enough to pull away and sit back up independently.
Jack let him go and waited for Ianto to the make the next move. He sat and watched as Ianto bent over and laced his fingers behind his head, eyes closed and taking deep breaths. After a few moments, he sat back up and smiled over at Jack briefly before pulling him into another slow and passionate kiss.
“Sorry… Sorry, Jack.” He gently pushed Jack’s hair out of his face and smiled. “I’ve been giving you a run for your money recently, haven’t I?”
Jack chuckled and reached over to the open pizza box and pulled a slice free. “You certainly keep me on my toes.” He patted Ianto’s knee lightly before taking a mouthful of the pizza and sitting back, smiling as Ianto’s hand took a hold of his and he curled up next to him, the young man sighing heavily.
“Do you think they’re all okay back at the hub?” Ianto was wondering out loud and Jack snorted in amusement, replying thickly through a mouthful of pizza.
“Ianto, you’ve been off for a day and a half, I’m sure they’re fine.” Despite his words, he fished his mobile out of his pocket and checked that he had now messages or missed calls. Ianto took the phone from his hand and put it carefully on the table before reaching up and kissing him for a long moment. “Did I mention you were on sick leave?”
“In that case, I better go to bed then.” Ianto said in a completely serious tone. Jack caught the look in his eyes as he took a last mouthful of his coffee and pushed himself to his feet, moving back into the bedroom.
Jack didn’t even think about turning the offer down, knowing it would do more harm than good to say no. As soon as he stepped through the door, Ianto had captured his lips in a strong and seductive kiss, sliding his suspenders off his shoulders and starting on his shirt buttons.
*
It was closing in on eight in the evening. They’d spent the afternoon in bed… And on the bedroom floor, the window sill, the bathroom floor, the shower and back in the bed again.
They both been so worn out that they were lying naked amongst the covers, drifting on the edges of consciousness. Jack heard a vague ringing from the other room and realised it was his mobile phone. Wearily, he pulled himself up, grabbed the sheet from the floor and hung it loosely around his hips, shuffling through to the living room to retrieve it quickly and go back. They’d warmed the bedroom up so much that he was shivering in the cool air of the living area.
He perched on the edge of the window sill and checked his phone. He checked his voicemail, and, seeing a new message, put it to his ear to listen to.
“Hi Jack, it’s Tosh. I was just calling to say we’ve had a quiet day here and we’ve all finished the reports from last night. I did the cover stories and falsified the police reports with Gwen and Owen finished the autopsy. All the paper work is on your desk for you to sign off on next time you’re in… We all hope Ianto’s okay, so give him our love, and we’ll see you sometime soon hopefully.”
Jack smiled to himself, tossed the phone onto the bed and started to hum quietly under his breath. He didn’t even realise he was doing it until Ianto cracked an eye open and snorted lightly in amusement.
Jack crept back onto the bed and slid onto his stomach next to Ianto, leaning his head down to kiss him gently, but finding himself pulled into a surprisingly emotional kiss. He got a brief and startling insight into just what was raging deep inside the young man. He pulled back, slightly breathless.
“Jack…” His name left the lips as a sleep whisper and he just smiled in reply. Ianto’s eyes were half closed already. He curled his arm around the young man’s waist and pulled him closer, lying his head on Ianto’s chest and sighing. He closed his eyes and ran his hands over Ianto’s stomach as he felt the young man’s fingers running through his hair again. He traced the slightly raised scars on his abdomen silently.
“You hungry?” Jack managed to get up enough strength to talk and felt Ianto laugh again, loving the sound of the vibrations running through his chest.
“I think I’ve eaten enough this afternoon…” Jack had to laugh at the innuendo and he soon found himself kissing Ianto’s chest gently, tracing shapes with his tongue that made Ianto arch his back a little in pleasure. “Jack… Seriously, I don’t think I have the energy to do anymore.”
Jack just smiled to himself and carried on his worship of Ianto’s torso. Ianto just wove his fingers deeper into Jack’s hair, his breathing already increasing. Chuckling, Jack moved his hand down Ianto’s body, caressing his stomach, his hips, his thighs… Teasing Ianto the entire time.
“Jack…” Ianto’s voice hinted at the tension building in him and Jack started to kiss gently up his exposed neck and to his jaw line. “Jack, please…”
The older man captured Ianto’s lips gently and ran his tongue over Ianto’s, hands moving gently up his stomach and around his waist. The young man kissed him back, silently thanking him for relenting on the almost torturous touch.
He pulled back gently and moved himself away from Ianto reluctantly, getting up and pulling the sheet back around his waist. Just as he was heading out of the bedroom, his mobile rang and he turned to see Ianto stretching across the bed to take the call.
“Hello?” Jack folded his arms and leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, watching Ianto sitting up in bed with a second sheet pulled over his legs and midriff.
“Oh, hi Tosh. Yeah. Okay, sure. He’s right here, want to talk to him?” He looked over at Jack and smiled secretively. “Okay, right then, I’ll tell him… Yes, I’m fine thanks, I just got a bit tired, that’s all. Yeah, I’ll be back tomorrow…” Jack glared a warning at him and Ianto hastily corrected himself, “…If Jack lets me that is. Okay, yeah, I’ll see you soon, bye.”
With that, he ended the call and threw the phone onto the bedside table and rubbed his eyes to fight off sleep.
“Owen’s been looking at this alien you shot down earlier and he said there’s been developments he didn’t see before, says he needs you to go in and look at it.” Ianto looked at him, a small smile on his face that made Jack groan and shake his head.
“No, Ianto… No, you can’t come with me.” Ianto’s face dropped into the hopeful penitence that usually worked on Jack.
He let out an exasperated growl and headed over to the pile of his discarded clothes and started to pull on his boxers and made the mistake of sitting down on the edge of the bed. He soon found Ianto’s arms around his waist and his chin resting on his shoulder.
“Please, Jack? I’m better, see? I just needed to sleep.” Jack shook his head resolutely and pulled himself from Ianto’s arms after a brief moment of enjoyment. He turned around and knelt in front of him, taking a hold of his face and looking into his eyes.
“No, Ianto. You don’t just need sleep. You need time - time away from the hub.” He rested his forehead on Ianto’s and sighed. “I can’t take you with me, Ianto… I’m sorry. I need to go deal with this.”
He felt Ianto’s hands wrap around his wrists gently and almost, almost told the young man to get dressed and come with him. Instead he closed his eyes and sighed, maintaining a grasp on his resolve.
“I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.” He wrenched himself away and had to avoid looking at Ianto, the pain revealing itself in his stormy blue eyes. He quickly pulled on the rest of his clothes and left the room, hurriedly buttoning his shirt and tucking it in, swinging his great coat on and pulling his boots on last of all. Ianto appeared at the bedroom door and stood watching him.
“Jack?” His voice was choked and sounded completely opposite to the confident lover he’d been that afternoon. Jack couldn’t even look at him, tears threatening to blur his vision and judgement. “Jack, please… Don’t leave me in the dark again…”
The voice was barely more than a whisper, but Jack heard every syllable, feeling them like knives to his gut as he walked out of the flat.
*
When Jack had got to the hub, he was in an extremely dark mood. The other’s picked up on it straight away and didn’t mess about with him. He marched down to the autopsy bay and Owen de-briefed him, filling him in on exactly what they’d found with the alien.
Jack had listened carefully, assessed the situation and ordered Owen to write up a new report and have it on his desk by the morning. He then went to his office and decided to start signing off on all his paper work, trying to keep the back log to a minimum as he suspected he’d need to spend much of his time for the next few days with Ianto.
Several hours later, after another complication with Owen, Jack was back in Ianto’s car, heading back to the flat. He took the stairs two at a time, as usual and strode down the corridor to the front door. Within seconds, he was opening it and stepping inside, locking it behind him.
He saw Ianto, fully dressed and sitting on the couch with an open bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand, an ice cube being held to his nose with the other. He was slouched down, head tilted right back to rest on the sofa, eyes closed.
He knew without getting any closer that the young man was still conscious, and probably not drunk at all.
He kicked his boots off and went to kneel next to him, easing the bottle out of his hand, taking a mouthful and putting it on the table. That’s when he noticed the trail of blood that dripped out of his nose and across his lips. The ice cube held to the bridge of his nose seemed to be stemming the flow and Jack looked at Ianto’s closed eyes, his face complete devoid of emotion.
“Hi, Jack.” His voice was a little hoarse, as if he’d been crying in the older man’s absence, but it held no anger or resentment, just relief.
“Shit, Ianto… Can’t I leave you alone for a second?” He smiled and stroked Ianto’s cheek gently, wiping away the water that had melted from the ice. “Stay there, I’ll be right back.”
Ianto resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the implication that he would be going anywhere. Instead, he let his lips quirk upwards into a smile that fell away after a moment or two. Jack hurried off to the bathroom and quickly soaked a flannel in tepid water, ringing it out before heading back to Ianto, who hadn’t moved a muscle.
He gently started to wipe away the blood from Ianto’s nose and lips, carefully washing the skin clean and warming up the cold flesh at the same time. He took the ice cube from Ianto’s unresisting fingers and wrapped it in the cloth, throwing it into the sink in the kitchen to clean later.
He then returned his attention to Ianto, who’s head was vertical to his body again, eyes finally opening and blinking at his surroundings. He was taken by surprise when he felt Jack’s hand tilt his chin up and his lips kiss him in a way that expressed such remorse and longing that Ianto’s breath caught for a moment before he poured himself into the touch.
When Jack pulled back and sunk down on the sofa next to him, Ianto cut in before he could speak.
“Don’t apologise… Just, don’t.” His voice was a little stern, as if he needed to get something off his mind. “I shouldn’t have done that to you, I’m sorry. You were needed and I shouldn’t have got in the way of that.”
He took Jack’s hand in his and looked at him sincerely. “I won’t do it again. You should go back and finish the work properly.”
“I got it done. I’m not going anywhere again tonight, I promise.” Jack’s voice was quiet, leaning in towards Ianto a little, just to get closer to him.
“If you need to go again, I’ll wait for you…” The meaning of those words struck Jack on every level they were meant to. Not just leaving for work, but if the Doctor or John returned… That thought made the tears start to flow, made him love the young man just that little bit more.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He repeated.
With those words, he allowed Ianto to pull him into another earth shattering kiss, tasting like a glorious mix of Ianto and whiskey, and guide him into the bedroom to pick up where they’d left off.
---
TBC!
Chapter 9
Rating: 15 to NC17
* changes through the Part
Characters/Pairings: Team, Martha, Ten ; Jack/Ianto
Spoilers: S1, 2x01, Minor DW 3x12, 3x13
Warnings: Mild violence; M/M relations; ANGST
Summary: The day comes to a close, but nothing's ever easy in a Torchwood relationship...
[ The 'And So It Begins... Again' Saga ]
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to Russel T. Davies, I sadly don't own them... All lyrics belong to Foo Fighters
Author's Note: I'm so sorry about the ridiculously long waits between chapters at the moment.. it's partly because I'm completely smacked away with the sheer volume of *stuff* to do with my saxophone and school and stuff, but it's partly because I know I'm starting to run out of this series!
So, atm, I'm writing 3 other fics (a timetraveller one, a OASF installment and a Nine fic) and at least one of those will be finished reasonably soon. I'm thinking I might put this story on hiatus when i get to the end of Part 4, post whatever fic I have finished and write up the next few parts of this series, to come back and post again sometime around April, maybe March.
But yeah, that's not important for a while, just wanted to let you know my thoughts! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks to everyone who's reading (and Abby cos she's writing again!) - And because of my tardiness with posting, here's a long update for ya!
---
Chapter 8
“Secret fascination, whisper a quiet tune
Hear me callin' you, Virginia Moon, I'll wait for you tonight”
-Virginia Moon, Foo Fighters
Jack hadn’t laughed that much for a very long time. To be honest, be couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much that he’d cried. As he watched Graham Chapman fighting John Cleese as the Black Knight, he thought he may have passed out from lack of oxygen, laughing so hard, he simply forgot to breathe. Ianto had been in a similar state from just watching Jack’s reaction.
The simple fact that Jack had never seen the Pythons in action had spurred him on to put the other three DVDs in. When they got to the end of the final film, it was about lunchtime. Jack looked at his watch, wiping a stray tear from his eye and sighing happily.
All that laughing had made him hungry, and he’d eaten most of the pile of toast he’d made that morning. He pushed away the observation that Ianto’s half slice lay forgotten on the table with only a couple of bites taken from it.
“What shall I order in?” Jack sat up and ran his hands through his hair before looking over to Ianto.
“I’m not fussed… Pizza maybe?” Ianto smiled and Jack knew then that he wasn’t going to eat much of whatever it was he ordered in,
“Shall I just get one for us to split?” As Ianto nodded, Jack pulled his mobile out of his pocket and leaned forwards, elbows on knees, to hit the speed dial number for the local pizzeria.
He was distracted from ordering when Ianto stood up on the sofa and slid down into the gap behind him, wrapping his legs around his waist and slipping his arms over Jack’s chest, starting to kiss his bare neck gently.
When Jack started stammering a little over the phone, Ianto couldn’t help but chuckle, making Jack bite back a groan of pleasure and quickly end the order. As soon as the connection was cut, he let the groan out and sunk back into the young man’s embrace. Ianto was gently biting the flesh on Jack’s neck, making him unconsciously turn into it, a shiver of longing running through him.
“Mr. Jones, are you trying to seduce me?” Jack’s voice came out huskier than he expected, the strain of controlling his heart rate a little more than he’d anticipated. He felt Ianto smile against his skin before replying.
“Is it working?” The amusement was evident in his voice and Jack took the challenge. He snaked his hands around Ianto’s thighs and hoisted himself to his feet, Ianto clinging onto his back and humming against his neck as he made his way into the bedroom. Jack felt a small jolt in the region of his stomach at how light Ianto was, but was distracted when Ianto climbed off his back, onto the bed.
He stood on the end of the bed, arms around Jack’s shoulders and smiled down at him as the captain twisted around and looked up, a grin on his face. Ianto let out a small moan as Jack ran his hands under his t-shirt, running slowly along his stomach and moving his lips to place gentle kisses on the soft skin of his torso. Ianto shivered a little and wound his fingers into Jack’s hair to steady himself.
He felt Jack hum against his stomach and moved his hands, pulling the young man down onto his knees so they were more on the same level. Jack placed a hand on either side of Ianto’s face and kissed him slowly, gently - exploring his lover’s mouth as if for the first time.
Ianto found it intoxicating and they soon forgot about the outside world, linked together at the mouth as they discovered more about each other, losing themselves in the innocence of the act.
They were roused hesitantly back into reality at the sound of the doorbell from the other room as the pizza delivery boy tried to get their attention. Jack pulled back and growled in disapproval, kissing Ianto’s nose gently before moving off to find his wallet and retrieve his food. Ianto sat for a moment and listened to the low mumbles of the pleasantries Jack was exchanging with the boy at the door.
When Ianto heard him thanking the boy again, as a close for the conversation, he moved through to the kitchen area and flicked the kettle on. As his hand hovered over the switch, he noticed the slight tremble in his fingers. He stared at them for a while, trying to calm them, to stop the irrational behaviour, but nothing he could do stopped the shaking. He couldn’t bring himself to move. All he could do was stare down at his fingers.
After what seemed like a colossal use of strength, he managed to clench his fist tightly, which seemed to break the spell he was under. He quickly made up time and produced two coffees, taking them over to the sofa slowly, making sure his hands didn’t start to shake again. Setting them down, he sat back in his seat and curled up, hugging his knees to his chest and staring at the mug on the table in front of him.
He didn’t notice the look of concern on Jack’s face. He didn’t notice Jack at all. He couldn’t stop thinking about the shaking, the lack on control. He felt thoroughly disturbed.
“Ianto…?” He felt Jack’s hand on his back, moving round to his side and pulling him close, his other arm coming round to close him in, keep him safe. There were no words, nothing, that he could bring himself to say.
The uselessness of trying bit deep into Ianto’s mind and he started shaking again, having no control over his body at all. He tried to speak, he tried so hard to open his mouth and talk to Jack, but there was nothing. His muscles refused to obey him.
With a final, screaming effort, he managed a snarl of frustration. He could hear Jack muttering softly in his ear and one of his hands gently stroking his hair and he uncurled himself, moving a hand up to Jack’s face before he calmed himself down enough to pull away and sit back up independently.
Jack let him go and waited for Ianto to the make the next move. He sat and watched as Ianto bent over and laced his fingers behind his head, eyes closed and taking deep breaths. After a few moments, he sat back up and smiled over at Jack briefly before pulling him into another slow and passionate kiss.
“Sorry… Sorry, Jack.” He gently pushed Jack’s hair out of his face and smiled. “I’ve been giving you a run for your money recently, haven’t I?”
Jack chuckled and reached over to the open pizza box and pulled a slice free. “You certainly keep me on my toes.” He patted Ianto’s knee lightly before taking a mouthful of the pizza and sitting back, smiling as Ianto’s hand took a hold of his and he curled up next to him, the young man sighing heavily.
“Do you think they’re all okay back at the hub?” Ianto was wondering out loud and Jack snorted in amusement, replying thickly through a mouthful of pizza.
“Ianto, you’ve been off for a day and a half, I’m sure they’re fine.” Despite his words, he fished his mobile out of his pocket and checked that he had now messages or missed calls. Ianto took the phone from his hand and put it carefully on the table before reaching up and kissing him for a long moment. “Did I mention you were on sick leave?”
“In that case, I better go to bed then.” Ianto said in a completely serious tone. Jack caught the look in his eyes as he took a last mouthful of his coffee and pushed himself to his feet, moving back into the bedroom.
Jack didn’t even think about turning the offer down, knowing it would do more harm than good to say no. As soon as he stepped through the door, Ianto had captured his lips in a strong and seductive kiss, sliding his suspenders off his shoulders and starting on his shirt buttons.
*
It was closing in on eight in the evening. They’d spent the afternoon in bed… And on the bedroom floor, the window sill, the bathroom floor, the shower and back in the bed again.
They both been so worn out that they were lying naked amongst the covers, drifting on the edges of consciousness. Jack heard a vague ringing from the other room and realised it was his mobile phone. Wearily, he pulled himself up, grabbed the sheet from the floor and hung it loosely around his hips, shuffling through to the living room to retrieve it quickly and go back. They’d warmed the bedroom up so much that he was shivering in the cool air of the living area.
He perched on the edge of the window sill and checked his phone. He checked his voicemail, and, seeing a new message, put it to his ear to listen to.
“Hi Jack, it’s Tosh. I was just calling to say we’ve had a quiet day here and we’ve all finished the reports from last night. I did the cover stories and falsified the police reports with Gwen and Owen finished the autopsy. All the paper work is on your desk for you to sign off on next time you’re in… We all hope Ianto’s okay, so give him our love, and we’ll see you sometime soon hopefully.”
Jack smiled to himself, tossed the phone onto the bed and started to hum quietly under his breath. He didn’t even realise he was doing it until Ianto cracked an eye open and snorted lightly in amusement.
Jack crept back onto the bed and slid onto his stomach next to Ianto, leaning his head down to kiss him gently, but finding himself pulled into a surprisingly emotional kiss. He got a brief and startling insight into just what was raging deep inside the young man. He pulled back, slightly breathless.
“Jack…” His name left the lips as a sleep whisper and he just smiled in reply. Ianto’s eyes were half closed already. He curled his arm around the young man’s waist and pulled him closer, lying his head on Ianto’s chest and sighing. He closed his eyes and ran his hands over Ianto’s stomach as he felt the young man’s fingers running through his hair again. He traced the slightly raised scars on his abdomen silently.
“You hungry?” Jack managed to get up enough strength to talk and felt Ianto laugh again, loving the sound of the vibrations running through his chest.
“I think I’ve eaten enough this afternoon…” Jack had to laugh at the innuendo and he soon found himself kissing Ianto’s chest gently, tracing shapes with his tongue that made Ianto arch his back a little in pleasure. “Jack… Seriously, I don’t think I have the energy to do anymore.”
Jack just smiled to himself and carried on his worship of Ianto’s torso. Ianto just wove his fingers deeper into Jack’s hair, his breathing already increasing. Chuckling, Jack moved his hand down Ianto’s body, caressing his stomach, his hips, his thighs… Teasing Ianto the entire time.
“Jack…” Ianto’s voice hinted at the tension building in him and Jack started to kiss gently up his exposed neck and to his jaw line. “Jack, please…”
The older man captured Ianto’s lips gently and ran his tongue over Ianto’s, hands moving gently up his stomach and around his waist. The young man kissed him back, silently thanking him for relenting on the almost torturous touch.
He pulled back gently and moved himself away from Ianto reluctantly, getting up and pulling the sheet back around his waist. Just as he was heading out of the bedroom, his mobile rang and he turned to see Ianto stretching across the bed to take the call.
“Hello?” Jack folded his arms and leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, watching Ianto sitting up in bed with a second sheet pulled over his legs and midriff.
“Oh, hi Tosh. Yeah. Okay, sure. He’s right here, want to talk to him?” He looked over at Jack and smiled secretively. “Okay, right then, I’ll tell him… Yes, I’m fine thanks, I just got a bit tired, that’s all. Yeah, I’ll be back tomorrow…” Jack glared a warning at him and Ianto hastily corrected himself, “…If Jack lets me that is. Okay, yeah, I’ll see you soon, bye.”
With that, he ended the call and threw the phone onto the bedside table and rubbed his eyes to fight off sleep.
“Owen’s been looking at this alien you shot down earlier and he said there’s been developments he didn’t see before, says he needs you to go in and look at it.” Ianto looked at him, a small smile on his face that made Jack groan and shake his head.
“No, Ianto… No, you can’t come with me.” Ianto’s face dropped into the hopeful penitence that usually worked on Jack.
He let out an exasperated growl and headed over to the pile of his discarded clothes and started to pull on his boxers and made the mistake of sitting down on the edge of the bed. He soon found Ianto’s arms around his waist and his chin resting on his shoulder.
“Please, Jack? I’m better, see? I just needed to sleep.” Jack shook his head resolutely and pulled himself from Ianto’s arms after a brief moment of enjoyment. He turned around and knelt in front of him, taking a hold of his face and looking into his eyes.
“No, Ianto. You don’t just need sleep. You need time - time away from the hub.” He rested his forehead on Ianto’s and sighed. “I can’t take you with me, Ianto… I’m sorry. I need to go deal with this.”
He felt Ianto’s hands wrap around his wrists gently and almost, almost told the young man to get dressed and come with him. Instead he closed his eyes and sighed, maintaining a grasp on his resolve.
“I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.” He wrenched himself away and had to avoid looking at Ianto, the pain revealing itself in his stormy blue eyes. He quickly pulled on the rest of his clothes and left the room, hurriedly buttoning his shirt and tucking it in, swinging his great coat on and pulling his boots on last of all. Ianto appeared at the bedroom door and stood watching him.
“Jack?” His voice was choked and sounded completely opposite to the confident lover he’d been that afternoon. Jack couldn’t even look at him, tears threatening to blur his vision and judgement. “Jack, please… Don’t leave me in the dark again…”
The voice was barely more than a whisper, but Jack heard every syllable, feeling them like knives to his gut as he walked out of the flat.
*
When Jack had got to the hub, he was in an extremely dark mood. The other’s picked up on it straight away and didn’t mess about with him. He marched down to the autopsy bay and Owen de-briefed him, filling him in on exactly what they’d found with the alien.
Jack had listened carefully, assessed the situation and ordered Owen to write up a new report and have it on his desk by the morning. He then went to his office and decided to start signing off on all his paper work, trying to keep the back log to a minimum as he suspected he’d need to spend much of his time for the next few days with Ianto.
Several hours later, after another complication with Owen, Jack was back in Ianto’s car, heading back to the flat. He took the stairs two at a time, as usual and strode down the corridor to the front door. Within seconds, he was opening it and stepping inside, locking it behind him.
He saw Ianto, fully dressed and sitting on the couch with an open bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand, an ice cube being held to his nose with the other. He was slouched down, head tilted right back to rest on the sofa, eyes closed.
He knew without getting any closer that the young man was still conscious, and probably not drunk at all.
He kicked his boots off and went to kneel next to him, easing the bottle out of his hand, taking a mouthful and putting it on the table. That’s when he noticed the trail of blood that dripped out of his nose and across his lips. The ice cube held to the bridge of his nose seemed to be stemming the flow and Jack looked at Ianto’s closed eyes, his face complete devoid of emotion.
“Hi, Jack.” His voice was a little hoarse, as if he’d been crying in the older man’s absence, but it held no anger or resentment, just relief.
“Shit, Ianto… Can’t I leave you alone for a second?” He smiled and stroked Ianto’s cheek gently, wiping away the water that had melted from the ice. “Stay there, I’ll be right back.”
Ianto resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the implication that he would be going anywhere. Instead, he let his lips quirk upwards into a smile that fell away after a moment or two. Jack hurried off to the bathroom and quickly soaked a flannel in tepid water, ringing it out before heading back to Ianto, who hadn’t moved a muscle.
He gently started to wipe away the blood from Ianto’s nose and lips, carefully washing the skin clean and warming up the cold flesh at the same time. He took the ice cube from Ianto’s unresisting fingers and wrapped it in the cloth, throwing it into the sink in the kitchen to clean later.
He then returned his attention to Ianto, who’s head was vertical to his body again, eyes finally opening and blinking at his surroundings. He was taken by surprise when he felt Jack’s hand tilt his chin up and his lips kiss him in a way that expressed such remorse and longing that Ianto’s breath caught for a moment before he poured himself into the touch.
When Jack pulled back and sunk down on the sofa next to him, Ianto cut in before he could speak.
“Don’t apologise… Just, don’t.” His voice was a little stern, as if he needed to get something off his mind. “I shouldn’t have done that to you, I’m sorry. You were needed and I shouldn’t have got in the way of that.”
He took Jack’s hand in his and looked at him sincerely. “I won’t do it again. You should go back and finish the work properly.”
“I got it done. I’m not going anywhere again tonight, I promise.” Jack’s voice was quiet, leaning in towards Ianto a little, just to get closer to him.
“If you need to go again, I’ll wait for you…” The meaning of those words struck Jack on every level they were meant to. Not just leaving for work, but if the Doctor or John returned… That thought made the tears start to flow, made him love the young man just that little bit more.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He repeated.
With those words, he allowed Ianto to pull him into another earth shattering kiss, tasting like a glorious mix of Ianto and whiskey, and guide him into the bedroom to pick up where they’d left off.
---
TBC!
Chapter 9