Fic: The Oncoming Storm (Slash, AU, Janto 28/40 Conclusion)
Author: d8rkmessngr
Pairing: Jack/OMC, Jack/?, Jack/Ianto eventually, het and slash
Rating: NC-17 (betaed)
Summary: He left Jack on the game station. Abandoned. But then…he came back…different. An AU look on what happens if things happened differently. Doctor Who 'verse with Torchwood later on. Be sure to read the warnings.
Warnings: Please read each chapter's individual warnings. Some parts down the road may briefly mention non-con, abuse, and/or violence. Dark in the beginning. Please note there are some dark thoughts as my boys are broken…for now. Each chapter will be labeled for your convenience.
Author's Notes: Please note this is an AU that will cross over DW to TW season one. I'm probably spoiling my own story, but it will eventually be Janto. There's a bit of a journey first. I hope you enjoy. I'm working on this and intend to post regularly every other day. And again, I always believe in happy endings. So without further ado…
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Warning For This Chapter: uh...again...less about the episode, more about the progression of our boys. The slash part of the story here. SMUT. You were warned. :)
Notes For This Chapter: Note there are parallels to TW's "Random Shoes"
Prologue + Ch , Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 18. Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26, Ch 27, Ch 28 Act 1/4, Ch 28 Act 2/4, Ch 28 Act 3/4
Master Fic List: here
Chapter 28 "Random Shoes"
Act IV
He looked serene in his coffin, eternally young and beautiful in memory, but he knew that after a few years, flesh would no longer match memory. So was the fragility of life.
When the lid closed he stood there, unchanging, and watched as they hammered it shut, the hammer hitting the nails in a thrum-thrum-tap-tap fashion. Over and over, the hammer struck, sealing Ianto Jones from a lifetime that should have belonged to him and sealing Jack Harkness to a forever alone. Each nail felt like it was pounding into his body.
…thrum-thrum-tap-tap…
Jack stood alone by the grave. No one came to say goodbye and that was Jack's fault.
Jack jolted awake. Hard. His throat felt closed up, his heart racing so hard it hurt. It didn't really happen. It didn't.
"'ack?" Ianto sleepily mumbled. He untangled himself from Jack's body, sandwiched between Jack and the wall. He placed a hand on Jack's bare shoulder. Jack shivered. It felt hot on his cool skin.
"What is it?" Ianto murmured, not quite awake yet. He tentatively kissed Jack's left shoulder blade. "Shh," he soothed when Jack shuddered. "Another nightmare?"
Jack swallowed. The dream felt more like a memory that will happen.
"Jack?" Ianto yawned.
Rolling around to face him, Jack brushed the back of his fingers down Ianto's left cheek. The young man blinked drowsily at him, a lazy smile on his lips.
"'kay?" Ianto slurred, his hand languidly going up and down Jack’s shoulder as if he could iron out the nightmare from Jack's soul. "Okay?"
No. "Yes," Jack said out loud. He felt Ianto bury his face into Jack's throat and there was a moment of crazy thought when Jack thought he could bury Ianto deep inside him, keeping him forever. "Go back to sleep." Jack kissed his forehead, his fingers digging small circles into his scalp.
"'eels nice," Ianto mumbled as he wiggled closer to Jack, his bare legs tucking themselves between Jack's, his head tucked under Jack's chin.
"Don't drool on me again," Jack teased and Ianto mumbled something rude against his collarbone before drifting back to sleep.
Jack's smile faded but his fingers didn't stop. He soaked in the feel of the weight of Ianto's body against him. It wasn't crushing or stifling. It was like Ianto just wanted to be sure Jack was there, his existence simplified to a spark of life, a candle presence by him in the dark.
But Ianto can't hold on forever.
…thrum-thrum-tap-tap…
The hand wiggled and danced as bubbles frothed around it.
Jack sat on the ground in pajamas bottoms, knees drawn up, his arms hanging off them as he stared at the jar on the pedestal. Ianto was right; it was cold out here. He could feel himself growing numb. Jack idly wondered if death would feel like that, real death.
"You know, that still doesn't count as being dressed."
It was quiet, but it echoed in the Hub all the same. Jack smiled crookedly over at Ianto, standing a meter away.
"Aren't you afraid Owen's going to walk in here again?" Jack joked weakly. He gestured towards Ianto in his shorts, barefoot once again, huddled in Jack’s greatcoat.
Ianto scoffed as he tucked his hands into the greatcoat's pockets. "Not at three in the morning. Not even Tosh gets up this early."
"I like the ensemble though," Jack continued half-heartedly. "Maybe I should try that for work. What do you think?"
Clever eyes steered over to the jars that stood on the column; they widened a little. Then, Ianto padded over and stood in front of Jack, blocking the jars.
Like a trance, something snapped inside Jack and he blinked, looking at Ianto as if seeing him for the first time; the veil he didn't know was there had lifted.
"I think," Ianto murmured as he leaned back against the column, the coat parting to reveal crossed long legs, "you were lying when you said you were okay." Ianto's brow crinkled worriedly. "You've been out here for nearly two hours, Jack."
Jack frowned. It didn't feel that long. He tracked Ianto as the younger man went over and crouched down in front of him.
"What is it?" Ianto rested his arms on Jack's knees. He cocked his head. "Nightmare?"
More like a wake up call.
Jack drew invisible symbols on the hand curled over his right knee.
"What is it, Jack?" Ianto murmured, his eyes on Jack's finger. "These nightmares…you keep having them."
"I don't-"
"I'm a light sleeper," Ianto interrupted. He leaned to the left, blocking Jack's view of the column. "No, look at me."
Jack leveled his gaze at him and remembered how young Ianto looked against the white lining of the coffin. His stomach churned.
"What did he do to you, Jack?" Ianto whispered, his eyes reflecting Jack, his mouth crinkled downward.
"Who?" Jack asked numbly.
Ianto sighed. "Who, indeed?" He settled, his warm hands nudging Jack's knees. Jack parted his knees and Ianto settled closer kneeling between Jack's legs. He moved his hands down to rub Jack's inner thighs. "You're cold," Ianto mumbled and shuffled closer, spreading the coat. The greatcoat draped over Jack's legs as well.
It didn't occur to him that he was that cold until Ianto's hot hands kneaded his thighs. Jack shivered.
"Gwen nearly died today."
"Gwen?" Ianto hesitated. "Ah, the car." He swallowed. "This is about Gwen? She's alright, Jack."
Jack ignored him as he went on. "I'd always thought…knew…that this job was dangerous for you all. Aliens, strange monsters through the Rift, I wasn't even really surprised to see cannibals in the countryside!"
A wry smile tugged at Ianto's mouth. "Torchwood isn't an office job," he agreed.
"You don't understand," Jack murmured. He looked past Ianto's shoulder to the column. "What happened today wasn't aliens or the Rift or…"
"It was a car," Ianto finished, nodding slowly. "Just a careless prat."
Jack's eyes felt gritty. "That can happen to anyone, at anytime."
Not understanding, Ianto nodded. "Not all dangers are alien."
Jack grimaced and struggled to his feet, away from the cocooning warmth Ianto and the coat had provided. He went around Ianto and stood by the column, his hands on either side of the jars, on the edge.
"Were you planning to marry Lisa?" Jack abruptly asked.
Ianto looked stunned. "What? Me and Lisa?" Sadness drifted over his face. "Yes," he replied, subdued. "There was a time when we'd talked about it."
Of course they had because that's what a normal couple would do: plan and hope to grow old together.
"Children?" Jack stared at the jar, unable to look at the grief he knew he was putting on Ianto's face.
Ianto sounded embarrassed. "Lisa wanted one. I was hoping for three. We'd never settled on a number."
Jack closed his eyes. "You wanted a family."
Ianto sounded surprised. "With Lisa? Of course." Ianto paused. "Jack, what is this all about?"
The hand in the jar motioned as if to strike him. Jack waited for the blow but it never came.
"I can't give you that," Jack croaked. He forced himself to look at Ianto. "The growing old, the family, the life you wanted."
Ianto blinked. "Who said I still wanted it?"
"You would," Jack said, sure of this fact, "if you weren't with me." He set his jaw. "If we keep going where we're going. That life? You'll never have it. I can't give you that." And Ianto will hate him for it. Jack turned back to the jar, his body hunched forward. "Unless we end this." Jack swallowed. "Right now before you regret it."
Ianto was quiet. Jack kept his eyes on the hand. It gestured snidely at him, bade him to continue before Jack became a selfish coward. "It'll be for the best."
"No."
The hand seemed to freeze.
Hands gripped Jack’s wrists and pulled him away from the column with a little force.
Ianto stared at him with fond exasperation.
"I think I remember telling you that I don't appreciate you making decisions for me." He tilted his head and considered Jack. "I wasn't even sure there was a 'we'." He looked pleased.
Jack tried to tug his arms free but Ianto's grip was tight.
"There isn't," Jack insisted. He forced the next words out. "This is just sex."
Ianto stilled and his hands loosened.
Jack could have broken free but he couldn't find the strength anymore.
Ianto suddenly smiled. His hands tightened around Jack.
"I think you're sweet, Jack Harkness." Ianto tugged Jack closer and wrapped his arms around him.
Shocked, Jack could only stand there in the circle of wool against his bare skin. He sputtered.
"Sweet?" Jack protested weakly. "I'm trying to be noble here." He pushed at Ianto, backing away a step.
Ianto blinked. "Noble? Maybe. Stupid? Yes." He folded his arms. "I don't think this is just sex." Ianto looked at him shrewdly.
"For you either."
Jack gritted his teeth. "It can't be anything else," he insisted. "You should be married, have kids. What if you die tomorrow?"
"Or," Ianto added as he captured a hand and firmly tugged him away from the column and towards Jack's office, "I could live a hundred years as a crotchety bachelor."
"That's not funny."
"Yes, I know," Ianto agreed, still insistently dragging Jack up the steps. "You've mentioned I should never do stand up."
"We need to talk about this." Jack dug his heels in, halting them. "Where are we going?"
Ianto turned around and walked right up to Jack, his mouth set.
"We are going back down to your quarters and I am going to fuck that silly idea out of your head. Any questions?"
There were none.
Chapter 29 "Out of Time"
Additional Notes: Many thanks to soullessminion for betaing this chapter. And trtmx for her magic trick that saved my sanity! LOL.
Pairing: Jack/OMC, Jack/?, Jack/Ianto eventually, het and slash
Rating: NC-17 (betaed)
Summary: He left Jack on the game station. Abandoned. But then…he came back…different. An AU look on what happens if things happened differently. Doctor Who 'verse with Torchwood later on. Be sure to read the warnings.
Warnings: Please read each chapter's individual warnings. Some parts down the road may briefly mention non-con, abuse, and/or violence. Dark in the beginning. Please note there are some dark thoughts as my boys are broken…for now. Each chapter will be labeled for your convenience.
Author's Notes: Please note this is an AU that will cross over DW to TW season one. I'm probably spoiling my own story, but it will eventually be Janto. There's a bit of a journey first. I hope you enjoy. I'm working on this and intend to post regularly every other day. And again, I always believe in happy endings. So without further ado…
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Warning For This Chapter: uh...again...less about the episode, more about the progression of our boys. The slash part of the story here. SMUT. You were warned. :)
Notes For This Chapter: Note there are parallels to TW's "Random Shoes"
Prologue + Ch , Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 18. Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26, Ch 27, Ch 28 Act 1/4, Ch 28 Act 2/4, Ch 28 Act 3/4
Master Fic List: here
Chapter 28 "Random Shoes"
Act IV
He looked serene in his coffin, eternally young and beautiful in memory, but he knew that after a few years, flesh would no longer match memory. So was the fragility of life.
When the lid closed he stood there, unchanging, and watched as they hammered it shut, the hammer hitting the nails in a thrum-thrum-tap-tap fashion. Over and over, the hammer struck, sealing Ianto Jones from a lifetime that should have belonged to him and sealing Jack Harkness to a forever alone. Each nail felt like it was pounding into his body.
…thrum-thrum-tap-tap…
Jack stood alone by the grave. No one came to say goodbye and that was Jack's fault.
Jack jolted awake. Hard. His throat felt closed up, his heart racing so hard it hurt. It didn't really happen. It didn't.
"'ack?" Ianto sleepily mumbled. He untangled himself from Jack's body, sandwiched between Jack and the wall. He placed a hand on Jack's bare shoulder. Jack shivered. It felt hot on his cool skin.
"What is it?" Ianto murmured, not quite awake yet. He tentatively kissed Jack's left shoulder blade. "Shh," he soothed when Jack shuddered. "Another nightmare?"
Jack swallowed. The dream felt more like a memory that will happen.
"Jack?" Ianto yawned.
Rolling around to face him, Jack brushed the back of his fingers down Ianto's left cheek. The young man blinked drowsily at him, a lazy smile on his lips.
"'kay?" Ianto slurred, his hand languidly going up and down Jack’s shoulder as if he could iron out the nightmare from Jack's soul. "Okay?"
No. "Yes," Jack said out loud. He felt Ianto bury his face into Jack's throat and there was a moment of crazy thought when Jack thought he could bury Ianto deep inside him, keeping him forever. "Go back to sleep." Jack kissed his forehead, his fingers digging small circles into his scalp.
"'eels nice," Ianto mumbled as he wiggled closer to Jack, his bare legs tucking themselves between Jack's, his head tucked under Jack's chin.
"Don't drool on me again," Jack teased and Ianto mumbled something rude against his collarbone before drifting back to sleep.
Jack's smile faded but his fingers didn't stop. He soaked in the feel of the weight of Ianto's body against him. It wasn't crushing or stifling. It was like Ianto just wanted to be sure Jack was there, his existence simplified to a spark of life, a candle presence by him in the dark.
But Ianto can't hold on forever.
…thrum-thrum-tap-tap…
The hand wiggled and danced as bubbles frothed around it.
Jack sat on the ground in pajamas bottoms, knees drawn up, his arms hanging off them as he stared at the jar on the pedestal. Ianto was right; it was cold out here. He could feel himself growing numb. Jack idly wondered if death would feel like that, real death.
"You know, that still doesn't count as being dressed."
It was quiet, but it echoed in the Hub all the same. Jack smiled crookedly over at Ianto, standing a meter away.
"Aren't you afraid Owen's going to walk in here again?" Jack joked weakly. He gestured towards Ianto in his shorts, barefoot once again, huddled in Jack’s greatcoat.
Ianto scoffed as he tucked his hands into the greatcoat's pockets. "Not at three in the morning. Not even Tosh gets up this early."
"I like the ensemble though," Jack continued half-heartedly. "Maybe I should try that for work. What do you think?"
Clever eyes steered over to the jars that stood on the column; they widened a little. Then, Ianto padded over and stood in front of Jack, blocking the jars.
Like a trance, something snapped inside Jack and he blinked, looking at Ianto as if seeing him for the first time; the veil he didn't know was there had lifted.
"I think," Ianto murmured as he leaned back against the column, the coat parting to reveal crossed long legs, "you were lying when you said you were okay." Ianto's brow crinkled worriedly. "You've been out here for nearly two hours, Jack."
Jack frowned. It didn't feel that long. He tracked Ianto as the younger man went over and crouched down in front of him.
"What is it?" Ianto rested his arms on Jack's knees. He cocked his head. "Nightmare?"
More like a wake up call.
Jack drew invisible symbols on the hand curled over his right knee.
"What is it, Jack?" Ianto murmured, his eyes on Jack's finger. "These nightmares…you keep having them."
"I don't-"
"I'm a light sleeper," Ianto interrupted. He leaned to the left, blocking Jack's view of the column. "No, look at me."
Jack leveled his gaze at him and remembered how young Ianto looked against the white lining of the coffin. His stomach churned.
"What did he do to you, Jack?" Ianto whispered, his eyes reflecting Jack, his mouth crinkled downward.
"Who?" Jack asked numbly.
Ianto sighed. "Who, indeed?" He settled, his warm hands nudging Jack's knees. Jack parted his knees and Ianto settled closer kneeling between Jack's legs. He moved his hands down to rub Jack's inner thighs. "You're cold," Ianto mumbled and shuffled closer, spreading the coat. The greatcoat draped over Jack's legs as well.
It didn't occur to him that he was that cold until Ianto's hot hands kneaded his thighs. Jack shivered.
"Gwen nearly died today."
"Gwen?" Ianto hesitated. "Ah, the car." He swallowed. "This is about Gwen? She's alright, Jack."
Jack ignored him as he went on. "I'd always thought…knew…that this job was dangerous for you all. Aliens, strange monsters through the Rift, I wasn't even really surprised to see cannibals in the countryside!"
A wry smile tugged at Ianto's mouth. "Torchwood isn't an office job," he agreed.
"You don't understand," Jack murmured. He looked past Ianto's shoulder to the column. "What happened today wasn't aliens or the Rift or…"
"It was a car," Ianto finished, nodding slowly. "Just a careless prat."
Jack's eyes felt gritty. "That can happen to anyone, at anytime."
Not understanding, Ianto nodded. "Not all dangers are alien."
Jack grimaced and struggled to his feet, away from the cocooning warmth Ianto and the coat had provided. He went around Ianto and stood by the column, his hands on either side of the jars, on the edge.
"Were you planning to marry Lisa?" Jack abruptly asked.
Ianto looked stunned. "What? Me and Lisa?" Sadness drifted over his face. "Yes," he replied, subdued. "There was a time when we'd talked about it."
Of course they had because that's what a normal couple would do: plan and hope to grow old together.
"Children?" Jack stared at the jar, unable to look at the grief he knew he was putting on Ianto's face.
Ianto sounded embarrassed. "Lisa wanted one. I was hoping for three. We'd never settled on a number."
Jack closed his eyes. "You wanted a family."
Ianto sounded surprised. "With Lisa? Of course." Ianto paused. "Jack, what is this all about?"
The hand in the jar motioned as if to strike him. Jack waited for the blow but it never came.
"I can't give you that," Jack croaked. He forced himself to look at Ianto. "The growing old, the family, the life you wanted."
Ianto blinked. "Who said I still wanted it?"
"You would," Jack said, sure of this fact, "if you weren't with me." He set his jaw. "If we keep going where we're going. That life? You'll never have it. I can't give you that." And Ianto will hate him for it. Jack turned back to the jar, his body hunched forward. "Unless we end this." Jack swallowed. "Right now before you regret it."
Ianto was quiet. Jack kept his eyes on the hand. It gestured snidely at him, bade him to continue before Jack became a selfish coward. "It'll be for the best."
"No."
The hand seemed to freeze.
Hands gripped Jack’s wrists and pulled him away from the column with a little force.
Ianto stared at him with fond exasperation.
"I think I remember telling you that I don't appreciate you making decisions for me." He tilted his head and considered Jack. "I wasn't even sure there was a 'we'." He looked pleased.
Jack tried to tug his arms free but Ianto's grip was tight.
"There isn't," Jack insisted. He forced the next words out. "This is just sex."
Ianto stilled and his hands loosened.
Jack could have broken free but he couldn't find the strength anymore.
Ianto suddenly smiled. His hands tightened around Jack.
"I think you're sweet, Jack Harkness." Ianto tugged Jack closer and wrapped his arms around him.
Shocked, Jack could only stand there in the circle of wool against his bare skin. He sputtered.
"Sweet?" Jack protested weakly. "I'm trying to be noble here." He pushed at Ianto, backing away a step.
Ianto blinked. "Noble? Maybe. Stupid? Yes." He folded his arms. "I don't think this is just sex." Ianto looked at him shrewdly.
"For you either."
Jack gritted his teeth. "It can't be anything else," he insisted. "You should be married, have kids. What if you die tomorrow?"
"Or," Ianto added as he captured a hand and firmly tugged him away from the column and towards Jack's office, "I could live a hundred years as a crotchety bachelor."
"That's not funny."
"Yes, I know," Ianto agreed, still insistently dragging Jack up the steps. "You've mentioned I should never do stand up."
"We need to talk about this." Jack dug his heels in, halting them. "Where are we going?"
Ianto turned around and walked right up to Jack, his mouth set.
"We are going back down to your quarters and I am going to fuck that silly idea out of your head. Any questions?"
There were none.
Chapter 29 "Out of Time"
Additional Notes: Many thanks to soullessminion for betaing this chapter. And trtmx for her magic trick that saved my sanity! LOL.