Work Text:
"Ianto?"
Ianto looked up from the file he was currently reading. He wasn't sure whether he'd heard someone call his name over his white noise machine or if it had just been his imagination—
"Iaantooooo, are you— oh! There you are."
It certainly hadn't been his imagination this time, seeing as Juette's head popped out from behind a shelf.
"I've been looking for you," he said as he approached, careful not to step on any of the artefacts and documents scattered over the floor.
- "Have you?"
- "Yes. Well," Juette wrung his hands together, "I was— missing you, that's all."
- "... Oh."
Ianto looked down at the documents in his hands again. He was somewhat surprised by Juette's words, although they weren't unexpected; but today was just one of those days when none of his partner's sweet affection for him seemed quite believable: it was why he'd hid in the archives, where he could busy his mind with careful sorting and filing instead of worrying about half-glances and unsaid words — instead of bothering anyone with his presence.
"I know there's not much I can do to help here, but— can I stay? With you?" Juette asked, and when Ianto didn't immediately answer, he quickly added: "I mean, unless you'd rather have some quiet, I don't want to overwhelm you or anything."
- "No, I— I want you to stay," he said, pulling out a desk chair for Juette to sit on. His partner's answering smile seemed to illuminate this entire section of the dark, dingy archives, and Ianto couldn't help but smile a little as well. The thought of Juette wanting to see him was only slightly dampened by the nagging anxiety that he was somehow forcing the other man to stay with him in the dusty basement.
Juette leaned closer to Ianto to read over his shoulder. "What subject are you organising?"
- "Empaths," Ianto replied. "More specifically, artefacts allowing you to feel other people's emotions."
- "That sounds interesting..." Juette said, rocking back and forth on his chair. "Is there a reason you're doing this today?"
- "Well, I figured I'd work on one of the smaller sections, since I finished the Invasions of 1934 recently."
- "God, those were a real mess. I wonder how anyone could have let it be this bad."
- "I don't think this section had been that disorganised when they created it, you know," said Ianto. "I found a classification plan from back then that indicates they had a very strong archive system, but I suppose it wasn't kept that way for long."
- "The Rift always gets in the way," Juette sighed.
- "That it does," Ianto nodded. "This shouldn't take me long, though."
Juette smiled. "Good."
He didn't say anything else after that, simply watching Ianto work — though the man occasionally glanced back at his partner to make sure he wasn't unhappy to be there.
"Juette, could you please get that artefact for me?" Ianto eventually asked. "The one that's sort of coral-shaped and metallic," he added when he realised how many objects were on the ground.
- "Sure!" Juette replied, rolling the desk chair closer to the alien object and leaning forward to pick it up — but then he paused.
Panic spiked through Ianto's body for a second as he wondered whether the artefact was more harmful than the file had let on, until he read the smudged pencil note at the top of the page. Touch-activated.
Juette put the object back down very slowly, and Ianto was certain that this was it, that the truth would drive his partner away for good — but he walked up to Ianto instead and gently wrapped his arms around his body.
"I don't know what to say," he whispered. "Ianto, I—"
- "There's nothing to say," muttered Ianto. "I know it's stupid."
- "It's not," Juette said a little too loudly. "Sorry, I just— I wish I'd noticed, I wouldn't— I would've come see you sooner if I'd known."
- "I didn't want you to notice. I'm not— this isn't worth worrying about."
- "It is, though," Juette said, bringing a hand up to guide Ianto's head to his shoulder and pet his hair. "You— you're always there for me when I don't— when I don't feel like I can really trust that you... like me. You're always there, and you always stay, and— and I want to be there for you, too. Until you feel better, and after, and always. I'll always be there for you."
- "You deserve so much more than I can give you, though."
- "I don't want anything else. Just you."
Ianto hoped that his nuzzle of Juette's neck conveyed everything he was feeling.
They didn't stay like this for long, though, because soon Juette had to sit down.
"I'm sorry," Ianto said. "I should've been more careful not to make you stand so long—"
Juettd interrupted him. "It's fine — I don't care as long as I could help you."
Ianto nodded, just a little.
"Good," Juette said. "Now, I think we should get something to eat."
- "Feel like anything in particular?"
- "Well, yes, actually, I want donuts."
- "Doughnuts it is, then," Ianto said, extending his arm for Juette to hold onto. "And— next time, I'll try to tell you."
- "Yes, I— I really want to be there for you."
- "I know," Ianto said. "Thank you."
And all Juette could do was nod.