Torchwood Fic: Inventory (Jack/Ianto)
Written for the horizonssing .day five prompt (which can be found beneath the cut).
Title: Inventory, Jack/Ianto
Rating: eh, more than teen, less than adult for sexual situations
Spoilers: None
Summary: Jack isn't the only one who appreciates a well-cut suit.
Word Count: 3,251
Inventory
It was standard operating procedure that one of the colour monitors in Jack's office was always tuned in to the CCTV camera posted in the tourist office when it was occupied. Part of the reason was tactical-as one of the more vulnerable entrances to Torchwood, any time the office was open for business there was the threat of a breach. But, as Jack had once cheerfully admitted, mostly he just liked the view.
But not today. Today he sat at his desk, jaw clenched and forehead furrowed, as he steadfastly did not watch the screen mounted on the wall behind him. If he did, he knew what he'd see, and he was tired of seeing it. Very damn tired. He just didn't know what to do about it.
He was shuffling unread reports from one pile to another when Gwen walked in, sipping bottled pink lemonade from a straw. She was dressed for the heat in a sleeveless cotton top and denim skirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and face devoid of make-up. Normally, Jack would have made a sassy comment about her resembling a twelve year old, but he kept his head down, not wanting to risk seeing the tourist office monitor out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, Nathan's back, isn't he." Gwen wandered over to the office monitor. "Maybe Tosh and I should wander up, see if Ianto needs a hand. Want to come?"
"Busy, Gwen," Jack grated out between clenched teeth. "Aren't you?"
"Mmm, not really. Not so busy I don't have time to check out one of the handsomest men I've ever seen. And an actor, besides. Very sexy."
"He's not that good-looking."
Even with his eyes on his work, Jack knew that Gwen was staring at him from behind. "Not that good-looking? Who are you and what have you done with Jack Harkness? He's bloody gorgeous and if it weren't for the fact that Ianto-"
Jack swivelled in his chair. "That's enough, Gwen, all right? He's just a guy with too much time on his hands."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Doubt that, but if it were true, there's only one reason he keeps showing up at the tourist office and it isn't for discount tickets to the Castle."
Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh? And what would that reason be?"
Gwen took another sip of her lemonade before answering. "Well, it's obvious to the rest of us, even if you can't see it. That handsome American actor fancies our Ianto and I wouldn't be surprised if our Ianto didn't fancy him right back."
"What? No way." It was a token protest but Jack was unwilling to admit that she may be right.
"Why not?" Gwen's eyes widened, a picture of innocence. "I think they'd make a lovely couple."
"Gwen," Jack growled.
She burst into giggles. "God, you're easy, Jack. But you're cute when you're jealous, I'll say that."
Jack lifted his chin. "I am not jealous." He turned back toward his desk, willing Gwen to find someone else to torment. Preferably Owen.
"Right, okay. Then you're perfectly fine with the oh-so-gorgeous Nathan giving Ianto what looks like a very nice present?"
"What?"
Jack was out of his chair so fast that a sheaf of papers blew unnoticed onto the floor. Gwen stepped obligingly out of the way so that Jack had a clear view of the monitor, stifling a giggle with another sip of her drink as she watched Jack's reaction.
The camera was positioned with a clear sight line of the door and counter, giving Jack an unobstructed picture of the intruder. Tall, broad-shouldered and slim-hipped, dark brown hair framing an angular face set off by a pair of green eyes, Nathan leaned on the counter, a square white box with a bow tied around it cupped between his hands. Jack's upper lip twisted as he saw Ianto, one elbow on the counter and looking very comfortable, toying with the edge of the ribbon. It was an intimate little scene, two dark heads bowed toward each other, obviously speaking softly.
Ignoring Gwen's continued unwelcome presence, Jack reached over and snapped on the sound, his level of annoyance climbing immediately.
"...and the food will be awesome, I promise," Nathan the Handsome was purring. "But we won't have to stay long if we don't want to."
"I don't know," Ianto replied, fingers still caressing the ribbon. "I'd have to ask permission from my boss."
"For a date?" Nathan laughed and dropped the box on the counter, pushing it toward Ianto. "Where I come from, it's nobody's business but my own who I go out with. But hey, if that's what you gotta do, that works for me. Now, you gonna open that or what?"
"Say no," Jack muttered.
"Very well," Ianto gifted Nathan with a shy look that set Jack's teeth on edge. He watched as Ianto pulled the end of the ribbon, the bow falling apart gracefully and making it easy for Ianto to lift the lid. Jack couldn't make out what was inside so he kept his eyes riveted on Ianto's profile, hoping to see distaste or at least polite appreciation reflected there.
Instead, he saw the beautiful eyes widen as Ianto reached inside the box to pull out quite possibly the ugliest tie Jack had ever seen. It was all one colour, an eye-watering shade of pink so bright it practically glowed.
"Is that what I think it is?" Ianto was saying, the breathless quality to his voice annoying Jack even further.
"Yeah," Nathan crooned, "the new Hugo Boss, not even out on the market. Had a friend of mine ship it to me from Milan. Thought it'd look awesome with that navy suit of yours."
"Hmm," Ianto murmured, "the navy or the grey."
Nathan leaned closer and whispered something so quietly that the speaker didn't pick it up. However, the monitor had no trouble picking up the dusky rose that bloomed up in Ianto's cheeks as he straightened, one hand going to the knot in his properly conservative blue tie.
"That's quite an accomplishment," Ianto stuttered. Jack tore his eyes from the screen long enough to glare at a chuckling Gwen, then looked back in time to see Ianto fold the tie back into the box.
"I can't accept this," Ianto said, and although Jack could see the regret in his face, inside he was cheering.
"Well," Nathan said with a shrug, "that's gonna hurt my feelings, so you'd better make it up to me."
"Oh, brother," Jack muttered. "No one falls for that line."
"What do you suggest?"
"Ianto!" Jack fumed. "Come on, hurt feelings? He's playing you!"
Gwen was now laughing out loud. "Jack-"
Jack held up on finger. "Hush. I want to hear Ianto says next."
"Right," Gwen nodded, "at least you're not jealous or anything."
Jack scowled at her but returned his attention to the screen, just in time to hear Ianto's reply to a question that he'd missed.
"Sounds like fun."
Nathan's smile was blinding and Jack suspected veneers. "So, is that a yes?"
"Okay, that's it, I've had enough." Jack pivoted and reached toward the top drawer of his desk, delving inside and retrieving his revolver. "Time to get this yahoo out of my life."
"No, Jack, no weapons," Gwen admonished him. "You can't shoot a celebrity and expect to get away with it. Besides, we don't need that kind of publicity."
"Oh, no?" He checked the sight before dropping the gun into the holster on his hip. "Hey, I'm Torchwood, I can make all kinds of things disappear without a trace."
"Point, but you'd embarrass Ianto and I don't think that's what you're trying to accomplish."
Jack paused, staring at her. She was right, hurting Ianto was the last thing he wanted to do. He removed the revolver and replaced it in the drawer, then turned his attention back to the screen in time to see an admiring Nathan hold the tie up to Ianto's cheek.
"No weapons?" Jack asked Gwen wistfully.
"No weapons except the famous Harkness charm, I'm afraid."
For the first time in what seemed like hours, Jack smiled. It was not a happy smile.
"I can work with that."
"Then you'd better hurry," Gwen pointed to the screen, "because it looks like Nathan's getting Ianto's phone number."
"The hell he is!"
Jack raced out of his office toward the cog door, then changed direction when Gwen called out a warning about revealing their supposedly secret entrance. Stifling a curse, he recalled the lift and waited impatiently for it to descend, ignoring Owen's pointed remark about Jack crumbling like a stale biscuit at the first sign of competition. Once it arrived he tapped his foot all the way up to the surface, wondering how he could get rid of the interloper as quickly as possible and berating himself for letting it get this far.
It had started almost three weeks earlier, and Jack doubted that if Gwen hadn't recognized the actor as one of the production team currently filming in Cardiff, he wouldn't have given it another thought. Catching sight of him on the office monitor, she'd gushed and cooed and then interrogated a blushing Ianto about him later when he'd joined them downstairs for lunch.
That should have been Jack's first clue. Ianto was about the most unflappable person Jack had ever met, but for some reason, this Nathan guy had him rattled. But since later that night Jack certainly couldn't find any fault with Ianto's personal attention, he completely forgot about the actor.
Until Nathan showed up in the office the next day. With coffee. For two.
Even then, Jack had blown it off. He could hardly fault anyone for finding Ianto attractive and he didn't even mind (much) that Ianto seemed to return the sentiment. Attraction was the law of the universe and Jack had long since stopped fighting its pull. It soon became evident to all of them that there was more than attraction involved, judging by the tourist office's newly regulated hours and the impertinent guest that seemed to show up more and more often.
But it was hard to ignore that there was something brewing between his (his, dammit!) Welshman and the actor, even though Ianto was as loving and attentive as ever in their private time together. Too often, Jack would look up and see Ianto laughing at something Nathan had said, and while he loved to see Ianto laugh, he preferred it when he was the one bringing that smile to Ianto's face.
Then there were the obvious gestures of courtship that really had Tosh and Gwen watching closely, usually with fatuous smiles on their faces. Coffee was offered almost daily, lunch several times a week, and once Nathan had been waiting outside the office at closing time. Ianto had turned him away with a soft word and a smile (observed when Jack quickly switched the feed to the outside camera) but by that point, Jack was completely on edge and harassing the local film bureau daily for news on when the crew was going to move on.
Now, as he stepped off the lift and into the warm, moist air of a Cardiff summer afternoon, he regretted his hands-off approach to the trespasser, since it now seemed as though Ianto was truly tempted to go out on a date with the gorgeous, sexy, handsome, possibly Botoxed Nathan. And it was his own fault, Jack admitted. He'd never taken the time to woo Ianto once they'd become lovers, never bothered to think up nice things to say or do. Ianto was simply his, just as surely as he was Ianto's, but now there was enough doubt in Jack's mind that he realised he might be coming close to losing the best thing that had ever happened to him on this backward little planet.
By the time he reached the door of the tourist office, he still didn't have a plan, but spontaneity was one of his best qualities. Pasting a grin on his face, he opened the door, faltering only a little when he saw that Ianto's original tie was gone and the nauseatingly pink one had been draped around his collar.
As soon as Ianto saw who it was coming through the door, he stripped off the tie and rolled it into a ball, giving Jack a genuine smile of welcome as Nathan turned to see who the newcomer was.
Taking the offensive, Jack stuck out his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness, Ianto's boss. And you are?"
The hand that took his was dry, the handshake firm. "Nathan Bonaventure, nice to meet you, sir. Captain, huh? Ianto didn't mention that."
Jack's grin was full of teeth and no humour as he gazed at Ianto. "Really?"
Ianto's initial reply was a slight lift of his eyebrow, as if daring Jack to make a comment. He seemed completely unperturbed that Jack had made a rare, off-duty appearance at the office.
"Hate to brag, Sir," was Ianto's explanation as he folded the tie and replaced it in its box.
"Uh, huh." Jack turned his attention back to Nathan, who was propped against wall with a careless grace that made Jack itch to slap him. "Can we help you, Mr. Bonaventure?"
"Maybe," Nathan leaned forward conspiratorially, "you can help me convince Ianto to come with me to a little party the crew is having tonight."
"I am so sorry," Jack said with a sigh, "but I'm afraid Ianto is going to be tied up this evening."
"I am?" Ianto interjected.
"Very," Jack said. "Remember? It's inventory night."
Ianto frowned and before he could say something contradictory, Jack spoke again to Nathan. "In fact, we'll be closing early in order to get a running start, so-"
The door behind him opened and he stepped out of the way as three quite tiny, quite elderly ladies tottered in, orthopaedic shoes squeaking on the concrete floor as they gazed about them with distaste.
"This the Cardiff tourist office, then?" one of them, the tallest and maybe the eldest, said with a sniff of disdain. "Not much, is it? Dumpy old hole in the wall, that's what I say."
Ianto smiled at her and Jack watched with amusement as her fierce frown instantly began to fade. He knew the feeling. "Ladies," Ianto said, "how can I help you?"
The shortest, and possibly the youngest of the ancients, held out a much abused street map, its folds so fragile that many of them had ripped. "We want to find the Millennium Centre!" she shouted. "It's not on the map!"
"Really? Let's take a look then." Ianto took the map and laid it out on the counter. It was obvious to anyone but the dear old things that the map pre-dated the Centre by at least thirty years, but Jack knew Ianto was too much of a gentlemen to point that out. Jack glanced over at Nathan, who was watching Ianto with an expression that could only be described as acquisitive, and his ire flared hot once more.
"Mr. Bonaventure, I think we should leave Ianto to his work. Come on, I'll walk you out."
"Well, I wasn't-"
"Really, no problem at all." He opened the door and waited. Nathan met Ianto's gaze over the sea of blue hair and gave him a smile that was far too intimate for Jack's taste.
"I'll try and stop by tomorrow, but it's getaway day, and it's usually crazy. Can I-"
"Young man!" The middle-sized and somewhat indeterminate-aged woman spoke up. "Is there an off-license nearby? Maudie here needs her medicine!"
"Yes, ma'am, I can help with that." Ianto looked up apologetically at Nathan. "Sorry about tonight."
Nathan shrugged, "Me, too."
"Me, too," Jack echoed. He held out his arm in an unmistakable gesture of "I'm ushering you out of here". "Shall we?"
As Nathan preceded him out the door, Jack took one last look at Ianto, who had all three ladies hanging on every word he was saying. Feeling Jack's eyes upon him he looked up and Jack winked at him, then grinned as he saw the first hints of suspicion in Ianto's expression.
"Inventory?" Ianto mouthed silently.
Jack responded with a thumbs up and followed Nathan out into the sunshine, striding quickly to catch up with the actor who'd wandered over to the railing to gaze out toward the bay.
"So," Jack said as he joined him, "done filming here in Cardiff?"
Nathan gave Jack an assessing look out of the corner of his eye, as if gauging his receptivity to his plans. "Yeah, unfortunately. Nice little town you got here. Friendly. And damn, if the scenery isn't fine," he added with a leer toward the tourist office door.
Jack thought longingly of the singularity scalpel, wondering if using it on one of Nathan's testicles could be forgiven if done in the pursuit of knowledge. Squinting against the glimmering water, he nodded.
"We like it."
Nathan rested one elbow on the rail, turning his body toward Jack. "So, no way Ianto can get out of inventory duty, huh?"
"Sorry, no. Can't do it without him. He's-" Jack's breath skipped-"irreplaceable."
"Too bad. I was looking forward to finding out if that pale skin went all the way down to his toes, if you know what I mean." Nathan punctuated his crude innuendo with an elbow nudge to Jack's shoulder. Jack manfully refrained from taking that elbow and using it to toss Nathan into the water.
Instead, Jack held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Bonaventure. Good luck with the movie."
"Thanks, man."
They shook and Jack walked away, feeling lighter than he'd felt since Nathan bloody Bonaventure had first shown up in the tourist office. In a way, he felt grateful to the smarmy actor. For the first time, Jack had seen Ianto through the eyes of another admirer and it had reminded him that Ianto could, and some day possibly would, do better than an immortal time traveller with questionable taste in clothing.
In the meantime, Nathan the Handsome was now Nathan the Vanquished, which reminded Jack of a certain neon-coloured tie currently in Ianto's possession. Before the day was out, Jack vowed to find something redeemable about that gift that did not include adorning Ianto's neck.
It didn't take him long.
~~
Later that night.
"Let's see, two beautiful blue eyes."
"Jack-"
"Shh, I'm working here. Two perfect ears, adorable nose, gorgeous skin that's currently a lovely shade of pink. Oh, and what do we have here?"
"Is this what you-oh, God-meant by inventory?"
Jack lifted his mouth from Ianto's nipple and leaned back, surveying the progress of his evening's work. Dark hair, mussed by his hand, check. Three love bites (never do things in even numbers) rising on pale, sweat-slicked skin, done. Two kiss-swollen lips, got it. One hideous pink tie, carefully wrapped around Ianto's wrists and looped through the slats of the headboard, yes, please. On the night stand, one empty velvet pouch, its contents, a silver, thick-linked bracelet, currently tangled in the narrow end of the tie where it crossed over Ianto's wrist. Well done.
And one feverishly aroused lover, looking up at Jack with equal parts passion, amusement, and love.
Check, check, and, thank God, check.
Title: Inventory, Jack/Ianto
Rating: eh, more than teen, less than adult for sexual situations
Spoilers: None
Summary: Jack isn't the only one who appreciates a well-cut suit.
Word Count: 3,251
Inventory
It was standard operating procedure that one of the colour monitors in Jack's office was always tuned in to the CCTV camera posted in the tourist office when it was occupied. Part of the reason was tactical-as one of the more vulnerable entrances to Torchwood, any time the office was open for business there was the threat of a breach. But, as Jack had once cheerfully admitted, mostly he just liked the view.
But not today. Today he sat at his desk, jaw clenched and forehead furrowed, as he steadfastly did not watch the screen mounted on the wall behind him. If he did, he knew what he'd see, and he was tired of seeing it. Very damn tired. He just didn't know what to do about it.
He was shuffling unread reports from one pile to another when Gwen walked in, sipping bottled pink lemonade from a straw. She was dressed for the heat in a sleeveless cotton top and denim skirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and face devoid of make-up. Normally, Jack would have made a sassy comment about her resembling a twelve year old, but he kept his head down, not wanting to risk seeing the tourist office monitor out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, Nathan's back, isn't he." Gwen wandered over to the office monitor. "Maybe Tosh and I should wander up, see if Ianto needs a hand. Want to come?"
"Busy, Gwen," Jack grated out between clenched teeth. "Aren't you?"
"Mmm, not really. Not so busy I don't have time to check out one of the handsomest men I've ever seen. And an actor, besides. Very sexy."
"He's not that good-looking."
Even with his eyes on his work, Jack knew that Gwen was staring at him from behind. "Not that good-looking? Who are you and what have you done with Jack Harkness? He's bloody gorgeous and if it weren't for the fact that Ianto-"
Jack swivelled in his chair. "That's enough, Gwen, all right? He's just a guy with too much time on his hands."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Doubt that, but if it were true, there's only one reason he keeps showing up at the tourist office and it isn't for discount tickets to the Castle."
Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh? And what would that reason be?"
Gwen took another sip of her lemonade before answering. "Well, it's obvious to the rest of us, even if you can't see it. That handsome American actor fancies our Ianto and I wouldn't be surprised if our Ianto didn't fancy him right back."
"What? No way." It was a token protest but Jack was unwilling to admit that she may be right.
"Why not?" Gwen's eyes widened, a picture of innocence. "I think they'd make a lovely couple."
"Gwen," Jack growled.
She burst into giggles. "God, you're easy, Jack. But you're cute when you're jealous, I'll say that."
Jack lifted his chin. "I am not jealous." He turned back toward his desk, willing Gwen to find someone else to torment. Preferably Owen.
"Right, okay. Then you're perfectly fine with the oh-so-gorgeous Nathan giving Ianto what looks like a very nice present?"
"What?"
Jack was out of his chair so fast that a sheaf of papers blew unnoticed onto the floor. Gwen stepped obligingly out of the way so that Jack had a clear view of the monitor, stifling a giggle with another sip of her drink as she watched Jack's reaction.
The camera was positioned with a clear sight line of the door and counter, giving Jack an unobstructed picture of the intruder. Tall, broad-shouldered and slim-hipped, dark brown hair framing an angular face set off by a pair of green eyes, Nathan leaned on the counter, a square white box with a bow tied around it cupped between his hands. Jack's upper lip twisted as he saw Ianto, one elbow on the counter and looking very comfortable, toying with the edge of the ribbon. It was an intimate little scene, two dark heads bowed toward each other, obviously speaking softly.
Ignoring Gwen's continued unwelcome presence, Jack reached over and snapped on the sound, his level of annoyance climbing immediately.
"...and the food will be awesome, I promise," Nathan the Handsome was purring. "But we won't have to stay long if we don't want to."
"I don't know," Ianto replied, fingers still caressing the ribbon. "I'd have to ask permission from my boss."
"For a date?" Nathan laughed and dropped the box on the counter, pushing it toward Ianto. "Where I come from, it's nobody's business but my own who I go out with. But hey, if that's what you gotta do, that works for me. Now, you gonna open that or what?"
"Say no," Jack muttered.
"Very well," Ianto gifted Nathan with a shy look that set Jack's teeth on edge. He watched as Ianto pulled the end of the ribbon, the bow falling apart gracefully and making it easy for Ianto to lift the lid. Jack couldn't make out what was inside so he kept his eyes riveted on Ianto's profile, hoping to see distaste or at least polite appreciation reflected there.
Instead, he saw the beautiful eyes widen as Ianto reached inside the box to pull out quite possibly the ugliest tie Jack had ever seen. It was all one colour, an eye-watering shade of pink so bright it practically glowed.
"Is that what I think it is?" Ianto was saying, the breathless quality to his voice annoying Jack even further.
"Yeah," Nathan crooned, "the new Hugo Boss, not even out on the market. Had a friend of mine ship it to me from Milan. Thought it'd look awesome with that navy suit of yours."
"Hmm," Ianto murmured, "the navy or the grey."
Nathan leaned closer and whispered something so quietly that the speaker didn't pick it up. However, the monitor had no trouble picking up the dusky rose that bloomed up in Ianto's cheeks as he straightened, one hand going to the knot in his properly conservative blue tie.
"That's quite an accomplishment," Ianto stuttered. Jack tore his eyes from the screen long enough to glare at a chuckling Gwen, then looked back in time to see Ianto fold the tie back into the box.
"I can't accept this," Ianto said, and although Jack could see the regret in his face, inside he was cheering.
"Well," Nathan said with a shrug, "that's gonna hurt my feelings, so you'd better make it up to me."
"Oh, brother," Jack muttered. "No one falls for that line."
"What do you suggest?"
"Ianto!" Jack fumed. "Come on, hurt feelings? He's playing you!"
Gwen was now laughing out loud. "Jack-"
Jack held up on finger. "Hush. I want to hear Ianto says next."
"Right," Gwen nodded, "at least you're not jealous or anything."
Jack scowled at her but returned his attention to the screen, just in time to hear Ianto's reply to a question that he'd missed.
"Sounds like fun."
Nathan's smile was blinding and Jack suspected veneers. "So, is that a yes?"
"Okay, that's it, I've had enough." Jack pivoted and reached toward the top drawer of his desk, delving inside and retrieving his revolver. "Time to get this yahoo out of my life."
"No, Jack, no weapons," Gwen admonished him. "You can't shoot a celebrity and expect to get away with it. Besides, we don't need that kind of publicity."
"Oh, no?" He checked the sight before dropping the gun into the holster on his hip. "Hey, I'm Torchwood, I can make all kinds of things disappear without a trace."
"Point, but you'd embarrass Ianto and I don't think that's what you're trying to accomplish."
Jack paused, staring at her. She was right, hurting Ianto was the last thing he wanted to do. He removed the revolver and replaced it in the drawer, then turned his attention back to the screen in time to see an admiring Nathan hold the tie up to Ianto's cheek.
"No weapons?" Jack asked Gwen wistfully.
"No weapons except the famous Harkness charm, I'm afraid."
For the first time in what seemed like hours, Jack smiled. It was not a happy smile.
"I can work with that."
"Then you'd better hurry," Gwen pointed to the screen, "because it looks like Nathan's getting Ianto's phone number."
"The hell he is!"
Jack raced out of his office toward the cog door, then changed direction when Gwen called out a warning about revealing their supposedly secret entrance. Stifling a curse, he recalled the lift and waited impatiently for it to descend, ignoring Owen's pointed remark about Jack crumbling like a stale biscuit at the first sign of competition. Once it arrived he tapped his foot all the way up to the surface, wondering how he could get rid of the interloper as quickly as possible and berating himself for letting it get this far.
It had started almost three weeks earlier, and Jack doubted that if Gwen hadn't recognized the actor as one of the production team currently filming in Cardiff, he wouldn't have given it another thought. Catching sight of him on the office monitor, she'd gushed and cooed and then interrogated a blushing Ianto about him later when he'd joined them downstairs for lunch.
That should have been Jack's first clue. Ianto was about the most unflappable person Jack had ever met, but for some reason, this Nathan guy had him rattled. But since later that night Jack certainly couldn't find any fault with Ianto's personal attention, he completely forgot about the actor.
Until Nathan showed up in the office the next day. With coffee. For two.
Even then, Jack had blown it off. He could hardly fault anyone for finding Ianto attractive and he didn't even mind (much) that Ianto seemed to return the sentiment. Attraction was the law of the universe and Jack had long since stopped fighting its pull. It soon became evident to all of them that there was more than attraction involved, judging by the tourist office's newly regulated hours and the impertinent guest that seemed to show up more and more often.
But it was hard to ignore that there was something brewing between his (his, dammit!) Welshman and the actor, even though Ianto was as loving and attentive as ever in their private time together. Too often, Jack would look up and see Ianto laughing at something Nathan had said, and while he loved to see Ianto laugh, he preferred it when he was the one bringing that smile to Ianto's face.
Then there were the obvious gestures of courtship that really had Tosh and Gwen watching closely, usually with fatuous smiles on their faces. Coffee was offered almost daily, lunch several times a week, and once Nathan had been waiting outside the office at closing time. Ianto had turned him away with a soft word and a smile (observed when Jack quickly switched the feed to the outside camera) but by that point, Jack was completely on edge and harassing the local film bureau daily for news on when the crew was going to move on.
Now, as he stepped off the lift and into the warm, moist air of a Cardiff summer afternoon, he regretted his hands-off approach to the trespasser, since it now seemed as though Ianto was truly tempted to go out on a date with the gorgeous, sexy, handsome, possibly Botoxed Nathan. And it was his own fault, Jack admitted. He'd never taken the time to woo Ianto once they'd become lovers, never bothered to think up nice things to say or do. Ianto was simply his, just as surely as he was Ianto's, but now there was enough doubt in Jack's mind that he realised he might be coming close to losing the best thing that had ever happened to him on this backward little planet.
By the time he reached the door of the tourist office, he still didn't have a plan, but spontaneity was one of his best qualities. Pasting a grin on his face, he opened the door, faltering only a little when he saw that Ianto's original tie was gone and the nauseatingly pink one had been draped around his collar.
As soon as Ianto saw who it was coming through the door, he stripped off the tie and rolled it into a ball, giving Jack a genuine smile of welcome as Nathan turned to see who the newcomer was.
Taking the offensive, Jack stuck out his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness, Ianto's boss. And you are?"
The hand that took his was dry, the handshake firm. "Nathan Bonaventure, nice to meet you, sir. Captain, huh? Ianto didn't mention that."
Jack's grin was full of teeth and no humour as he gazed at Ianto. "Really?"
Ianto's initial reply was a slight lift of his eyebrow, as if daring Jack to make a comment. He seemed completely unperturbed that Jack had made a rare, off-duty appearance at the office.
"Hate to brag, Sir," was Ianto's explanation as he folded the tie and replaced it in its box.
"Uh, huh." Jack turned his attention back to Nathan, who was propped against wall with a careless grace that made Jack itch to slap him. "Can we help you, Mr. Bonaventure?"
"Maybe," Nathan leaned forward conspiratorially, "you can help me convince Ianto to come with me to a little party the crew is having tonight."
"I am so sorry," Jack said with a sigh, "but I'm afraid Ianto is going to be tied up this evening."
"I am?" Ianto interjected.
"Very," Jack said. "Remember? It's inventory night."
Ianto frowned and before he could say something contradictory, Jack spoke again to Nathan. "In fact, we'll be closing early in order to get a running start, so-"
The door behind him opened and he stepped out of the way as three quite tiny, quite elderly ladies tottered in, orthopaedic shoes squeaking on the concrete floor as they gazed about them with distaste.
"This the Cardiff tourist office, then?" one of them, the tallest and maybe the eldest, said with a sniff of disdain. "Not much, is it? Dumpy old hole in the wall, that's what I say."
Ianto smiled at her and Jack watched with amusement as her fierce frown instantly began to fade. He knew the feeling. "Ladies," Ianto said, "how can I help you?"
The shortest, and possibly the youngest of the ancients, held out a much abused street map, its folds so fragile that many of them had ripped. "We want to find the Millennium Centre!" she shouted. "It's not on the map!"
"Really? Let's take a look then." Ianto took the map and laid it out on the counter. It was obvious to anyone but the dear old things that the map pre-dated the Centre by at least thirty years, but Jack knew Ianto was too much of a gentlemen to point that out. Jack glanced over at Nathan, who was watching Ianto with an expression that could only be described as acquisitive, and his ire flared hot once more.
"Mr. Bonaventure, I think we should leave Ianto to his work. Come on, I'll walk you out."
"Well, I wasn't-"
"Really, no problem at all." He opened the door and waited. Nathan met Ianto's gaze over the sea of blue hair and gave him a smile that was far too intimate for Jack's taste.
"I'll try and stop by tomorrow, but it's getaway day, and it's usually crazy. Can I-"
"Young man!" The middle-sized and somewhat indeterminate-aged woman spoke up. "Is there an off-license nearby? Maudie here needs her medicine!"
"Yes, ma'am, I can help with that." Ianto looked up apologetically at Nathan. "Sorry about tonight."
Nathan shrugged, "Me, too."
"Me, too," Jack echoed. He held out his arm in an unmistakable gesture of "I'm ushering you out of here". "Shall we?"
As Nathan preceded him out the door, Jack took one last look at Ianto, who had all three ladies hanging on every word he was saying. Feeling Jack's eyes upon him he looked up and Jack winked at him, then grinned as he saw the first hints of suspicion in Ianto's expression.
"Inventory?" Ianto mouthed silently.
Jack responded with a thumbs up and followed Nathan out into the sunshine, striding quickly to catch up with the actor who'd wandered over to the railing to gaze out toward the bay.
"So," Jack said as he joined him, "done filming here in Cardiff?"
Nathan gave Jack an assessing look out of the corner of his eye, as if gauging his receptivity to his plans. "Yeah, unfortunately. Nice little town you got here. Friendly. And damn, if the scenery isn't fine," he added with a leer toward the tourist office door.
Jack thought longingly of the singularity scalpel, wondering if using it on one of Nathan's testicles could be forgiven if done in the pursuit of knowledge. Squinting against the glimmering water, he nodded.
"We like it."
Nathan rested one elbow on the rail, turning his body toward Jack. "So, no way Ianto can get out of inventory duty, huh?"
"Sorry, no. Can't do it without him. He's-" Jack's breath skipped-"irreplaceable."
"Too bad. I was looking forward to finding out if that pale skin went all the way down to his toes, if you know what I mean." Nathan punctuated his crude innuendo with an elbow nudge to Jack's shoulder. Jack manfully refrained from taking that elbow and using it to toss Nathan into the water.
Instead, Jack held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Bonaventure. Good luck with the movie."
"Thanks, man."
They shook and Jack walked away, feeling lighter than he'd felt since Nathan bloody Bonaventure had first shown up in the tourist office. In a way, he felt grateful to the smarmy actor. For the first time, Jack had seen Ianto through the eyes of another admirer and it had reminded him that Ianto could, and some day possibly would, do better than an immortal time traveller with questionable taste in clothing.
In the meantime, Nathan the Handsome was now Nathan the Vanquished, which reminded Jack of a certain neon-coloured tie currently in Ianto's possession. Before the day was out, Jack vowed to find something redeemable about that gift that did not include adorning Ianto's neck.
It didn't take him long.
~~
Later that night.
"Let's see, two beautiful blue eyes."
"Jack-"
"Shh, I'm working here. Two perfect ears, adorable nose, gorgeous skin that's currently a lovely shade of pink. Oh, and what do we have here?"
"Is this what you-oh, God-meant by inventory?"
Jack lifted his mouth from Ianto's nipple and leaned back, surveying the progress of his evening's work. Dark hair, mussed by his hand, check. Three love bites (never do things in even numbers) rising on pale, sweat-slicked skin, done. Two kiss-swollen lips, got it. One hideous pink tie, carefully wrapped around Ianto's wrists and looped through the slats of the headboard, yes, please. On the night stand, one empty velvet pouch, its contents, a silver, thick-linked bracelet, currently tangled in the narrow end of the tie where it crossed over Ianto's wrist. Well done.
And one feverishly aroused lover, looking up at Jack with equal parts passion, amusement, and love.
Check, check, and, thank God, check.