Chapter Text
As dusk went into a deep night, Ianto left work.
He wanted to stir on about the implications of the alien device, and his theories of Rose and what was going on with her, how she got here, why she was so close with jack... But something about stepping out of that prison of a building, refreshed his mind, he really tried to start taking time for himself. After losing — well, everything. But as always, it didn't last.
His family has grown distant due to the secrecy of torchwood, and the danger it would involve if they were to know. Ianto knew his heart couldn't take any more loss. He rested his head on the steering wheel of his car, letting out a breath he had held in from this morning, and unclenching his teeth. If anyone deserved a day off from all of this, it was him. He dared not make sense of the job anymore, it only led to more stress. How foolish of he to think itd be like his old one.
His traitorous mind wandered... Lingered... Dwelled.
Jack, oh mother-fucking, incompetent, lazy, perverted, Jack asshat harkness. Ianto couldn't understate his frustration with him this morning. Leaving without calling, disappearing again like Torchwood meant nothing as soon as some young doctor showed up. Where did he go this time? Run away again with his special doctor? — fuck. Just as soon as things were starting to seem good between the two. Foolish was he to think something, something was starting. Electricity... or dare he even think romance was on the table. But no, never could Jack take things seriously. It was Iantos fault for hoping.
Maybe he was overthinking it again, that was his specialty, at least recently. He heaved in another heavy breath like it would save him, trying to let his shoulders relax, as he started towards his flat.
Ianto frustratingly shuffled in his pocket, fiddling and struggling with those darn keys, just yearning for the sweet release of his bed and his cold, dark, lonely, apartment.
The air remained chill and devoid of life as he felt the familiar creek of the opening door. Even if it was the most office building looking apartment, he welcomed it as a part of the routine. A distant soft flow of light was bleeding through from his bedroom. Left a light on, he thought, gullibly.
He took off his shoes with relief and soon followed his perfectly fitted and ironed coat. He took such pride in his clothing, always looking the best, used to be for others but now became a staple of enjoyment for himself. Something just for him.
Ianto relished in the ritual of getting undressed, down to his undershirt, and striding to his kitchen area turning on the soft stove top light to brew a last cup of tea before bed. Humming in delight as the steam filled his senses and the quiet easing his earlier tensions.
What he didn't quite catch onto at first was the shifting on steps making their way up behind him. Not until he felt hot breath behind him, riding up his neck, and rough, aged hands reaching around his waist with gentle ease. He jumped.
Pushing his body out of grasp, or possibly harm's way, he turned around and pushed his hot cup of tea onto the body of the ‘attacker’... onto the chest of Jack. His tensions dropped at the sight of who it was, but it was fleeting as the moments caught up to him. His eyes grew dark and the lines in his face deepened once again, his quick sense of worry easing back to annoyance.
“What the hell are you doing here- how did you get in!?" Ianto got up into Jack's face, but he was busy gripping the burn on his chest from Ianto's attack.
“God—Fuck, that really hurt, jeez Ianto, can't I say hello?” From what Ianto was quickly gathering, Jack was either stupid or an amnesiac. “I may be into rough play, but warn me next time." His homoeroticism toward every little thing once amused, but to a point got annoying, and ianto couldn't help but furrow his brows at the comment.
“Why the hell are you here," Ianto had many questions to be fair, but he was pushed up against his kitchen counter as his boss riled in burning pain. He figured one thing at a time.
Jack held his chest as his wounds healed and flesh mended together disgustingly. Jack was beautiful, objectively. From the outside: his bone structure, eyes, and fashion sense vexed Ianto, he could admit. But the way he reminded everyone just how alien he was by his mere actions, made his muscles tense in defiance of the initial attraction. Something uncanny, something that was definitely once human, but after ease turned sour and dissociated.
“I have a key, let myself in." He took a few steps back, his last words almost breathy. “Look, before you-" He trailed off in some babbling, eager excuses. Jack pretended to love people so effortlessly, but it worked.
Of course he had a key, Ianto wondered what more his boss could do to take over his life. He crossed his arms and faced the babbling fool. “I guess I could have guessed, never fail to keep me on my toes.” His last words hinting at that usual flirtation, only to then tense up as he remembered why he was angry.
He felt like a mother scolding his misbehaved teenager for sneaking out past curfew. He had his arms crossed and his teeth clenched tight back into stress. "When did you, why are—Jack where were you today?” His anger mended into concern, then back into that silken tone of his usual voice.
Jack's lips quivered at the sudden bombardment of questions, he probably broke in expecting a few drinks and laughs, then a quick fuck to ease his nerves, then to leave. “Something came up — I was looking for a — I had to go somewhere.” He immediately shut it down. "I meant to check in with everyone, with you. Just got busy." He seemed so casual, and that only added fuel to the fire.
"Busy.” Ianto mimicked, almost defeated in his attempt to get anything human out of him. He forgot how detached he could act sometimes.
“I just wanted to see you. Is that so bad? ask how—uh." Jack stopped himself, his words felt forceful, not carefully thought out and comforting like how Ianto wove words. “How was everyone?"
By ‘everyone’ he meant Rose, Ianto assumed, and his back turned to Jack to start refilling his glass of tea. “She was fine, Rose has been adjusting quite nicely." No thanks to you, He wanted to add. " Seems to be getting along with Gwen very well."
“— No threats for the end of the world?" Jack joked, attempting to get anything, a smile, a squint in his eyes, anything in response.
“Yes," he muttered with a drawn out sigh, " one thing, we contained — but you can ask about that tomorrow, I'm off the clock and not thinking about work.” Ianto set the mug down, breathing in and back out, filling his lungs with the scent of undrunk tea. “Your orders, remember?"
“Right, if that's so, well.. I'm sure you had one hell of a day, dont you wanna relax a bit?” He drew closer, slithering up to Ianto's stern face like a terrible temptation. “C'mon, take a load off.” The first few buttons on his shirt were undone — most likely on purpose — still wet and now stained, and his hot breath stunk sweet of alcohol. His hands kept a little distance, which was never like him. One thing about jack harkness, was that he couldn't ever keep his dirty hands to himself. But this time he did, knowing his place and waiting for the command word like a hurt puppy.
Before glancing back at Jack and his pleading eyes; that moment he was reminded of the Captain Jack who held a gun to his head, sure he would kill him to prove a point. Ianto felt sick.
"Jack, I want you —" it was quick, his voice caught in that moment, being cut off by hungry lips nipping at his own, slithering into his mouth like poison he let himself embrace too many times. Jacks lips were sweet, and sour with alcohol. Warm, familiar, and infectious.
Ianto dared not let himself get drawn to bed again by a drunk man — he had too much self respect for that tonight — and so he pulled back, resuming what he was going to say before he was cut off. He huffed desperately for breath and reered his head back. His full body pressed against the counter by Jacks hips. "—I want you to leave."
The man he sometimes hated to call his lover, looked at him with confused and rejected eyes, pleading almost. But his leg still found its way between Ianto's thighs as he begged. "C'mon.."
Ianto clenched his teeth and removed eye contact, ignoring his stiffening trousers as he was far too pissed off to pay attention to it at the moment. Traitorous, he thought. The proximity would be his enemy. "Not tonight, you need to — get yourself in order.." he scrunched his nose. "I can smell the vomit on your breath."
-
And he was right, Jack had stunk of it. Reeked of a hard afternoon through the night of drinking himself silly, for no apparent reason. Why was he doing all this? What had been the issue? Why had he been put into fight or flight at the sight of her.
Harkness' eyes were blown wide with part concern, part arousal from the gorgeous man pushed up against the counter, part fear he might lose a great fuck he'd been looking forward too, even in his drunken state. "I can shower —" He almost sounded pathetic. immediately, closing in distance and not removing their intertwined legs. His voice had lowered to a soft whisper, trying anything he can to console ianto without flat out showing he cared.
"No," Ianto stood still, his own voice not much more than a mumble. They had both grown quiet but not moving.
"We could just... cuddle?" The words felt almost as alien as he did within his throat. But he was desperate, not just for a wank, but for someone to be near him, for him not to be alone. Just for tonight; hed do anything just for tonight. Tomorrow he can pretend he didnt care.
Ianto was different, he felt different. Not just the soft curves in his body unlike what he explored on John, but how they acted. How comfortable, affectionate. Little bickering, but no abuse, just soft and sincere. If he could muster up the courage to put it into words, he would. But as much as he knew deep down ianto needed to hear it, he couldn't bring himself to.
But now he needed closeness, which was apparent as he kept ianto trapped there in his grasp.
"No." His words came out cold and unforgiving. A deep demand that echoed through his throat. It made Jack, even in his state, his weakened and vulnerable state, shiver and plea.
"Please..fuck— please, just let me stay—" He almost groaned into his lovers ear in response. And it was enticing. His grip was hard against Ianto's shoulders and their chests were almost pushed up against each other.
Consideration rattled within Ianto's mind, as his face turned to cringe hearing jack groan in his ear with a pathetic drunken plea. "Alright... Alright! You can stay." He stated with a sigh and raised his hands to pry jack off of him. "But, shower.. "
He almost lit up, and backed away, stumbling in the process. "Fuck, yes.. we are so on."
"But.." Ianto stopped him, setting rules, tracing his finger up jacks chest like a binding signature. "You cant touch me tonight."
Captain jacks smile dropped, then he ran a shaking hand through his hair, trying to act all cool even after the stunt he just pulled like the pathetic bastard he is. "That's.. fair." He grumbled under his breath, his eyes locked on Ianto as he stepped back. Ianto almost tumbled at the disappearing weight holding him, his legs felt cold. And he chewed his lips, watching the fool walk away from view, leaving him to find his own way to the shower.
★
As Jack slinked out of the bathroom, wet hair and a towel around his waist, feeling more human and back into his skin. Ianto's bedroom was pitch black, dark, uncomfortable. And his gaze lingered around the room to desperately locate the welshman.
he was wrapped in a heavy blanket, softly snoring on the far side of the rather large bed. He looked comfortable, it was safe. And jack felt his heart rest lightly.
The sight was new, and overall amusing. Jack barely ever got to see this side of him. after a long night of fucking he usually just rolled over and passed out, he never got to soak in the sweetness of iantos slow and comfortable breaths. But it in its raw state of calm, felt almost too intimate, close in a worse, more romantic way.
He didnt bother to put on clothes besides his briefs. He just crawled under the covers, but keeping distance, obeying Ianto's wishes, and he himself got comfortable.
And for the first time in awhile, Jack slept.
★