Love Will Tear Us Apart 1/21
Title: Love Will Tear Us Apart (1/21)
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Owen suggested, hints of Ianto/Tosh.
Rating: NC17
Summary: Why leaving Owen alone with alien tech is a supremely bad idea...
Spoilers: Probably past end of series 1. To be safe.
Warnings: Slightly cracky, slash, language.
Author's Notes: Uh...alien tech made us do it. *nods* We're totally innocent. *snerk* Feedback will be loved and adored. Flamers will be fed to Myfanwy.
Thank you to ryuuri_chan, who's done Two wonderful bits of kitty!Ianto fanart for the series.
Humming, Ianto walked over to his desk. And paused. Cocked his head, tail gently swinging from side to side.
“Owen?” He murmured, voice cold. “Why is there a scratching post on my desk?” He turned, to see Owen, smirking at him.
"Thought it might come in handy.” He ducked as Ianto threw the offending item at his head.
“I don’t. Have claws!” Ianto growled, hissing at Owen.
Owen rubbed his forehead, where a nice red bump was already appearing.
“JACK!” He yelled. “Your kitten’s going psycho again!”
Ianto hissed, eyes narrowed, already plotting to cough up hairballs (and my, hadn’t that been a fun first experience) into Owen’s next takeaway. His tail thrashed angrily from side to side as he paced in front of his desk, one ear cocked as Jack’s office door opened.
“Ianto…don’t kill Owen.” Jack’s lips twitched as he fought the urge to smirk.
“Why? Tosh can do his job easily.” Ianto growled, glared, never taking his eyes off Owen, feeling more than seeing Jack approach him.
“Oi!” Owen glared at Ianto, then Jack, who seemed to be more interested in scratching behind Ianto’s ears than actually reprimanding him. Ianto, for his part, relaxed a little, purring softly, eyes half-lidded as he smirked at Owen.
Jack echoed the smirk, winding Ianto’s tail through his fingers, playing with it idly.
“Owen, stop baiting Ianto.” He laughed softly as Ianto batted at his hands, eyes following his tail. Jack scratched a bit harder behind his ears, rewarded with a low groan as Ianto sagged slightly, leaning against Jack. In the background, Owen rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the more-than-slightly pornographic sight of Ianto groaning and rubbing himself against Jack.
Still smirking, Jack released Ianto’s tail, rubbing behind cat ears with both hands, rewarded with a louder purr. Tosh, for her part, was now completely ignoring the computer program chattering away to itself in the background, shifting in her chair as she watched Ianto and Jack, mouth open a little.
Oblivious to all of this, Ianto turned to face Jack, rubbing against him more firmly as his hands slid…well, places they really shouldn’t in public. Gwen was standing watching them from the doorway to the autopsy room, unsure if she was jealous of them both or just turned on. They’d all been on edge since Ianto’s transformation; Owen had muttered something about cat pheremones, but in truth he knew as little as the rest of them.
Never taking his eyes off Ianto, Jack swallowed hard, trying to gain enough control in his voice to sound unaffected by what Ianto was doing.
“I don’t know why you keep having trouble with Ianto, Owen. He really is quite easy to get along with…” Smirking, Jack looked down as Ianto opened his eyes, arching an eyebrow at him.
“Are you trying to suggest I'm some kind of...cat whore, Jack? Er, sir.” Ianto tried to look offended; a little difficult when he was pressed so closely against Jack, purring.
“Not at all.” Jack smiled, moving his hand to rub and scratch a little harder. Ianto tried to resist, but Jack’s hand was so nice…he purred louder, nuzzling at Jack’s shoulder.
*************** A Few Days Earlier…***************
“Owen…are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Ianto looked at him warily, leaning on the railing that surrounded the autopsy room. For reasons best known to himself, Owen had decided to take the latest piece of alien technology they’d scavenged out of storage, and fiddle with it.
“Jack said-"
“I know what Jack said, Ianto. Don’t worry about it, I know what I’m doing.” Owen frowned, crouching down beside the machine, casting a glance up at Ianto, smirking.
“I doubt that…” Ianto muttered, though he did lean closer, intrigued despite his misgivings.
“I heard that.” Owen didn’t look up this time, using a scalpel to gingerly prod the…whatever it was. Part organic, part computer. They didn’t know what it did yet, or where it came from. All they knew was that it bore a green crescent inside a circle; something the archives had assured them meant it was medical. So, of course, Owen had claimed it as his.
Perhaps it was misfortune, then, that meant Gwen, Toshiko, and Jack were called out on a weevil hunt. Leaving Ianto to watch over Owen - with strict instructions to not, under any circumstances, touch the device - Jack had departed in his usual dramatic manner. Ianto wondered if he’d practised walking out of the room, the best to show off his coat, billowing behind him like a bad imitation of Angel. Not that he’d watched the show, of course. It had been more Lisa’s thing. He didn’t have a thing for dark, brooding mystery men in long co-oh, bugger it all. He’d watched every bloody episode, one memorable week off. Done nothing but sit around in his boxers, watch TV, and obsessively clean his flat.
“You gonna stare at nothing all day, or are you going to help me?” Owen’s snarky question broke Ianto out of his reverie. He looked down at the doctor, who was holding what appeared to be some kind of flap open with a wooden tongue depressor, scalpel pressed against the soft tissue underneath.
‘Do I have to?’ Ianto nearly asked - mouth open, in fact - before shutting it with a snap. Sighing, he walked down the stairs, rolling up his sleeves.
“What do you want me to do?” He picked up a couple of instruments from Owen’s tray, hoping he’d just be holding bits of…whatever it was…out of the way. Thankfully, that was all Owen trusted him with. He allowed his mind to drift, ignoring Owen’s running commentary, hoping to God that this wasn’t going to end badly.
Of course, he should have known as soon as he said that - even thought it - that things would go horribly, horribly wrong.
“Um…Owen?” He asked, looking over at the other man a little nervously. “A light’s started blinking.” Owen glanced up at him.
“It’s fine. It’s connected to this gland-thing here. I’ll just cut through….ah.” Owen swallowed. Hard.
Eyes wide, Ianto looked over at him. “That wasn’t a good ‘ah’, was it?” Owen shook his head. “Jack’s gonna kill you, isn’t he?”
“Most likely. Unless this thing kills me first.” Ianto tried to back away, still holding bits of the…thing, which seemed to have glued themselves to the metal implements. He dropped them, ducking down as the device started to give off a high-pitched whine. Owen had already hidden underneath one of the work benches, using an empty supply tray as a shield.
Five minutes later, they were still cowering either side of the autopsy bay, waiting for…what? Ianto stood, cautiously, pressed against the tiled wall. He glanced across at Owen, who, true to form, was still hiding behind his ‘shield’. Ianto licked dry lips nervously, looking at the alien machine, which continued to blink and whine ominously, while apparently doing nothing else. Taking a deep breath, Ianto took a step forward.
“I think it’s-" He didn’t get to finish his ill-advised sentence, as a wave of light billowed out from one side of the machine, hitting Ianto firmly in the chest. He was thrown against the wall, tiles breaking against his head and back with an ominous ‘crack’.
**********************
“How are we going to tell him?” He knew that voice…
“What do you mean, we? This is your bloody fault, Owen!!” A female voice hissed. Ianto twitched. No, didn’t like that one. Too loud.
“You’re the bleeding heart, Gwen - this stuff’s your job!” Ianto frowned, eyes still closed. Anger, he could feel it…smell it. And want…God, the air reeked of it.
“Mrph?” Blearily, he tried to force his eyes open, only to shut them again immediately.
“S’bright.” Voice dry, throat gritty. He swallowed, tried to speak again. “N s’loud.” He twitched, wondering why he was lying on his side. Felt something against his arm, something…furry. He shifted his arm away, strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He covered his face with his hand, slowly opening his eyes.
“It’s alright, Ianto. I’ve turned the lights down.” Gwen. Her voice was softer now, he could tell. But still, so loud…Everything was so loud. He looked around the dim room, frowning.
“I…why’s everything all grey?”
“Christ…” Owen swore, out of sight. “His vision’s probably changed as well.”
“What?!” feeling decidedly more awake, Ianto tried to roll over, sit up. And yowled. His hand flew to his back, eyes opening wide as he felt...
“Owen…” He spoke through gritted teeth, doing his best to stay calm. “Why the buggering fuck do I have a tail?” Said tail was now twitching at the tip, back and forth, looking at ill-at-ease as the rest of Ianto.
“Uh…look, mate…” Owen appeared at the end of the bed, arms folded.
“Don’t. Don’t even bother.” Ianto growled, not quite literally, clutching at the bed as he fought the urge to lunge at Owen. Something itched, tickling the side of his face. Shakily, he brought a hand up to his face, back through his hair, towards…ears. Furry. Pointy. Ears.
“It’s not that bad…” Gwen murmured soothingly. “You look quite cute, really.” She tried to smile, reeking of lies.
“I’m a sodding cat, Gwen. And if it’s not that bad, why is Owen sweating? You reek, Owen. You’re afraid, because you don’t know what the fuck you’ve done.” Ianto’s voice was deathly quiet, tail still flicking quietly against the bed, fingers curling as they dug in to the sheets. He stared at Owen, coolly, before letting his gaze flick around the room, taking in the world in shades of grey.
“You put me in a cell?!” He’d gone beyond anger now, into pure astonishment. Nothing should surprise him by now, he knew…but somehow, the world had managed to ruin his day once again.
“It’s for your own protection, love. We didn’t want you waking up near the…device.” Gwen winced.
Snorting in disbelief, Ianto shook his head. Bollocks. He could hear her pulse racing from here, the concern in her voice, even as the stench of her filled the air. And he was surprised the weevils hadn’t gone mad by now, with the thick waves of lust rolling off those two. Equally surprised that they hadn’t jumped each other already…oh, but wait. They already had. Scents mingled so close they were nearly the same.
He pulled his feet up, arms wrapped around his legs, hugging his knees as he watched them, ears twitching a little. The weevils were loud, so loud, and he pressed his hands to his ears in a bid to shut them out.
“Ianto?” Gwen placed a hand on his arm. “What is it, pet?”
“Don’t.” He stiffened, snarling. “Don’t fucking call me that.” She stammered an apology, moving away, and he couldn’t help but smirk a little as her pulse raced once more. Slowly, he let his hands fall away, wincing at the growling from the cell next door.
“Let me out of here?” Gwen glanced at Owen, who shrugged.
“He’s awake, he’s…mostly intact. Scans don’t show anything physically wrong with him-“
“You mean apart from the fact I’ve got sodding cat ears and a tail.” Ianto drawled, deadpan. He turned, sliding off the bed, swaying on his feet for a second. Things were a little different, his tail setting off his center of balance even as it tried to compensate. He ran a hand through his hair, managing to avoid his ears.
As he stepped forward, his ears swivelled towards the door, and he paused. Stepped out of the cell, shoulders hunched as he had to walk past the Weevil. He had the door open as Jack landed at the bottom of the stairs, Ianto stepping through with a shaky smile in place. It faded in the face of Jack’s blank stare, though there was a wicked twinkle in now-green eyes as Ianto’s nostrils flared slightly.
Ok, so maybe this could have a couple of advantages. But Ianto knew Jack was wearing the stripy shirt that made his eyes even more inhumanly blue, and he couldn’t bloody appreciate it properly. Somehow that gaze wasn’t the same in shades of grey. The heat coming off Jack, both literal and emotional, was almost like a wall, so thick that Ianto almost felt like he was going to choke.
But oh, what a way to die. It took Ianto a moment to realise that the low throbbing purr was coming from him, and a flush coloured pale skin as he ducked his head a little. The purr died down a bit, though Ianto couldn’t resist moving closer to Jack.
Jack, for his part, looked nothing less than highly amused, though there was a spark of heat in his eyes that gave away what Ianto had already picked up. He reached out a hand to Ianto, intrigued as to just how catlike he had become. Ianto ducked his head, nuzzling against Jack’s hand, only stopping as Owen cleared his throat pointedly in the background.
Flushing still, he stood. “Sorry. I uh…yes.” He straightened, hands clasped loosely behind his back, tail swinging gently from side to side.
“As I was saying…” Owen tried to sound like he knew what he was talking about; for once, Ianto didn’t have to blindly trust his words. “For the most part - obvious physical changes aside - Ianto’s perfectly fine. Vision, hearing - I’m assuming - sense of smell…all feline.” Owen’s voice faltered a little as he watched Ianto, who was switching between smirking slightly at him, and sneaking glances at Jack.
Who couldn’t take his eyes off the tail. Ianto was testing it out, able to control the movement of his tail a little better now, watching as Jack’s eyes followed it from side to side, even as it snaked up Ianto’s back, curling over one shoulder.
Gwen had stepped closer now too, a little intrigued herself. She’d been able to touch the tail and ears whilst Ianto was unconscious, but to see them moving…it was fascinating. Of course, that fascination had nothing to do with the easy confidence Ianto was radiating, the soft purr that continued unabated. She reached out a hand, pausing just out of reach.
“Can I?” She murmured, fingertips inches from his hair.
Ianto was running his tail through his fingers now, almost forgetting that Owen and Gwen were even there. He snapped his head around as Gwen stepped close, eyes flashing for a moment. He nodded, blinking slowly as soft fingers threaded through his hair.
Smiling nervously, Gwen scratched softly behind his ears, the expression becoming more confident as Ianto’s eyes slipped half-closed, rumbling purr in his chest.
“God, don’t stop doing that…” Ianto murmured, voice a little throaty as he tilted his head, arching into her hand.
“Gwen.” Voice a little louder than necessary, Jack’s jaw twitched slightly, as Gwen snatched her hand away. “I want you and Owen to research that thing. Carefully. Who knows what other tricks those guys had up their sleeves.” Gwen nodded, stepping past Jack and heading upstairs. Owen looked between Ianto and Jack, considered trying to explain himself, then decided that running away was a much better option. Especially when that meant he was following Gwen up stairs.
Ianto’s head swivelled to follow the both of them, smirk on his face. “They’ll be having sex in the supply cabinet in under ten minutes.” He murmured, letting his tail fall free of his fingers. He turned back to Jack, still looking rather pleased with himself. He took a few steps forward - prowled towards Jack - pressing close.
“Jack!” Owen yelled from upstairs. “The Cat-O-Matic started making noises again!” Ianto snarled as he pulled away from Jack, glaring in the direction of the stairs.
“When did Owen give it a name?” Ianto murmured coolly, turning and running up the stairs. Jack was right behind him, chuckling.
”Well, you were unconscious, we couldn’t rely on your rhyming skills.” Jack pointed out, slapping Ianto’s arse gently as they reached the top of the stairs, running towards the Autopsy room.
Ianto hissed quietly, walking, finding his shoes incredibly uncomfortable. He was almost scared to kick them off, but thankfully his feet looked perfectly normal underneath. It just felt odd. He raced after Jack, trying to ignore the uncomfortable way his trousers trapped his tail. This was going to take some getting used to. He leant on the railing, looking down at the device, while Owen tried to breathlessly explain from the stairs.
“I didn’t touch it, I swear. It just started blinking and whining like it did before.” Ianto nodded, sniffing the air carefully, frowning slightly. Holding on to the railing with one hand, he climbed through, smoothly dropping to all fours beside the autopsy table.
“Ianto!” Jack frowned, moving as if to come after him.
“It’s all right, Jack. Not as if it can do any more damage to me, is it?” Ianto looked up, smirking a little. He picked up a couple of Owen’s instruments, managing to pin flaps of tissue back, exposing the machinery underneath.
“Right, Owen…” He glanced up at the rather pale-looking medic. “What do I do to stop this then?”
“Me? How the bloody hell should I know?” Owen protested, holding his hands up. “Last time I went near it the thing nearly exploded. And look how well that one ended.” He gestured to Ianto, who hissed quietly at him. And then looked rather startled that he had. Tosh and Gwen looked on, wide-eyed, while Jack still didn’t seem to be able to get past amusement at Ianto’s appearance.
“Right. Thanks for that, Owen. You’re a great help.” Ianto drawled, crouching down in front of the device. He sniffed it, nose nearly nudging the machine. He could hear the others behind him, a quartet of quiet inhales as they all held their breath.
Tilting his head, he eyed the machine, focused. He purred quietly, a soft questioning ‘mrow?’ slipping out. And immediately, the device powered down, all the lights switching off as it fell silent. Smiling smugly, Ianto stood, hands on his hips.
“What…how’d you do that?” Owen looked at him, then at the machine, then back at Ianto. Who just continued to grin at him, tail swinging gently from side to side. Actually, he had no idea why making cat-noises at the machine had worked. But he wasn’t about to tell Owen that.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be sorting out those files on UFO sightings.” He walked past the rest of the team, who turned to follow him with their eyes, before looking over at Jack.
“That was Ianto, right? Our Ianto? The bloke who barely says two words to anyone all day?” Owen gestured at Ianto’s retreating back. “Since when did he grow enough balls to do…that?”
Jack smirked, hands in his pockets. “It’s always the quiet ones.” Whistling softly, he walked up to his office, leaving a spluttering Owen in the hands of Gwen and Tosh.
*********************Present Day**********************
Jaw clenched, Owen had tried his best to ignore them, staring at his work so intently that it was amazing it hadn’t burst into flames. He looked up, throwing his pen on the table as he rolled his eyes.
“Oh, for fuck's sake...GET A ROOM!” He walked off towards the autopsy room, pushing past Gwen who was still watching them, entranced.
“We could use this one…” Jack smirked. “Always wanted to do it on a desk.” He caught Tosh’s blush, as she looked away, trying to look busy but sneaking glances at them every few seconds. Jack watched her as he nibbled on Ianto’s ear, hands sliding up and down Ianto’s back.
Ianto grinned, arching against Jack, a soft happy mew escaping him. He looked back over his shoulder, smirking at Tosh’s flushed cheeks. Pressed against Jack from head to toe, he slowly slid down his body. On his knees, he nuzzled the bulge in Jack’s pants, purring as his tongue scraped over fabric.
“Oh my god.” Jack murmured, torn between shock - that Ianto was actually doing this, in public - and the need to have Ianto sucking him, right fucking now.
Tosh squeaked as she looked over, murmuring a soft exclamation of disbelief. She couldn’t look away, shifting uncomfortably in her chair, eyes wide. Gwen couldn’t even speak, staring at the two men, licking dry lips as she gasped.
One hand still tangled in Ianto’s hair, rubbing gently behind his ears, Jack bit his lip, unable to take his eyes off the gorgeous man on his knees. Ianto’s eyes fluttered shut, slowly, a look of utter bliss on his face. His hands slid up Jack’s thighs as he rubbed his face against Jack’s hip, purring. His tail was curled around his knees, resting against Jack’s ankle, the tip twitching ever so slightly. He opened his eyes slowly, fingers reaching Jack’s belt, green eyes on Jack’s face as he slowly undid the belt.
A slow grin spread across Jack’s face as he watched, eyebrow raised in question. He continued to rub behind Ianto’s ears, enjoying the vibration of his purrs against his leg.
“Uh guys…” Eyes still on Ianto, he swallowed hard. “I suggest…Oh fuck…”
Ianto blinked, not even registering that Jack was talking, that there were people watching. He pulled Jack’s belt free of his trousers, dropping it to the floor. Gently gripping the edge of Jack’s trousers between his teeth, he managed to get the button undone. His tongue curled against the zip, touching warm flesh above for a moment, sucking the tab into his mouth. Grasping it between his teeth, he unzipped Jack's trousers, fingers curling and uncurling against Jack's thighs.
“Are they done ye-OH MY GOD.” Owen made the mistake of coming back in, nearly giving himself whiplash as he quickly turned away.
“Uhm…Owen…I think I need to have you look at…uh…” Gwen wandered over to Owen, unable to take her eyes off Ianto and Jack, pink flush high in her cheeks. Jack smirked, able to see Tosh watching them still. He looked down, silently daring Ianto to continue.
On to Chapter Two
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Owen suggested, hints of Ianto/Tosh.
Rating: NC17
Summary: Why leaving Owen alone with alien tech is a supremely bad idea...
Spoilers: Probably past end of series 1. To be safe.
Warnings: Slightly cracky, slash, language.
Author's Notes: Uh...alien tech made us do it. *nods* We're totally innocent. *snerk* Feedback will be loved and adored. Flamers will be fed to Myfanwy.
Thank you to ryuuri_chan, who's done Two wonderful bits of kitty!Ianto fanart for the series.
Humming, Ianto walked over to his desk. And paused. Cocked his head, tail gently swinging from side to side.
“Owen?” He murmured, voice cold. “Why is there a scratching post on my desk?” He turned, to see Owen, smirking at him.
"Thought it might come in handy.” He ducked as Ianto threw the offending item at his head.
“I don’t. Have claws!” Ianto growled, hissing at Owen.
Owen rubbed his forehead, where a nice red bump was already appearing.
“JACK!” He yelled. “Your kitten’s going psycho again!”
Ianto hissed, eyes narrowed, already plotting to cough up hairballs (and my, hadn’t that been a fun first experience) into Owen’s next takeaway. His tail thrashed angrily from side to side as he paced in front of his desk, one ear cocked as Jack’s office door opened.
“Ianto…don’t kill Owen.” Jack’s lips twitched as he fought the urge to smirk.
“Why? Tosh can do his job easily.” Ianto growled, glared, never taking his eyes off Owen, feeling more than seeing Jack approach him.
“Oi!” Owen glared at Ianto, then Jack, who seemed to be more interested in scratching behind Ianto’s ears than actually reprimanding him. Ianto, for his part, relaxed a little, purring softly, eyes half-lidded as he smirked at Owen.
Jack echoed the smirk, winding Ianto’s tail through his fingers, playing with it idly.
“Owen, stop baiting Ianto.” He laughed softly as Ianto batted at his hands, eyes following his tail. Jack scratched a bit harder behind his ears, rewarded with a low groan as Ianto sagged slightly, leaning against Jack. In the background, Owen rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the more-than-slightly pornographic sight of Ianto groaning and rubbing himself against Jack.
Still smirking, Jack released Ianto’s tail, rubbing behind cat ears with both hands, rewarded with a louder purr. Tosh, for her part, was now completely ignoring the computer program chattering away to itself in the background, shifting in her chair as she watched Ianto and Jack, mouth open a little.
Oblivious to all of this, Ianto turned to face Jack, rubbing against him more firmly as his hands slid…well, places they really shouldn’t in public. Gwen was standing watching them from the doorway to the autopsy room, unsure if she was jealous of them both or just turned on. They’d all been on edge since Ianto’s transformation; Owen had muttered something about cat pheremones, but in truth he knew as little as the rest of them.
Never taking his eyes off Ianto, Jack swallowed hard, trying to gain enough control in his voice to sound unaffected by what Ianto was doing.
“I don’t know why you keep having trouble with Ianto, Owen. He really is quite easy to get along with…” Smirking, Jack looked down as Ianto opened his eyes, arching an eyebrow at him.
“Are you trying to suggest I'm some kind of...cat whore, Jack? Er, sir.” Ianto tried to look offended; a little difficult when he was pressed so closely against Jack, purring.
“Not at all.” Jack smiled, moving his hand to rub and scratch a little harder. Ianto tried to resist, but Jack’s hand was so nice…he purred louder, nuzzling at Jack’s shoulder.
*************** A Few Days Earlier…***************
“Owen…are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Ianto looked at him warily, leaning on the railing that surrounded the autopsy room. For reasons best known to himself, Owen had decided to take the latest piece of alien technology they’d scavenged out of storage, and fiddle with it.
“Jack said-"
“I know what Jack said, Ianto. Don’t worry about it, I know what I’m doing.” Owen frowned, crouching down beside the machine, casting a glance up at Ianto, smirking.
“I doubt that…” Ianto muttered, though he did lean closer, intrigued despite his misgivings.
“I heard that.” Owen didn’t look up this time, using a scalpel to gingerly prod the…whatever it was. Part organic, part computer. They didn’t know what it did yet, or where it came from. All they knew was that it bore a green crescent inside a circle; something the archives had assured them meant it was medical. So, of course, Owen had claimed it as his.
Perhaps it was misfortune, then, that meant Gwen, Toshiko, and Jack were called out on a weevil hunt. Leaving Ianto to watch over Owen - with strict instructions to not, under any circumstances, touch the device - Jack had departed in his usual dramatic manner. Ianto wondered if he’d practised walking out of the room, the best to show off his coat, billowing behind him like a bad imitation of Angel. Not that he’d watched the show, of course. It had been more Lisa’s thing. He didn’t have a thing for dark, brooding mystery men in long co-oh, bugger it all. He’d watched every bloody episode, one memorable week off. Done nothing but sit around in his boxers, watch TV, and obsessively clean his flat.
“You gonna stare at nothing all day, or are you going to help me?” Owen’s snarky question broke Ianto out of his reverie. He looked down at the doctor, who was holding what appeared to be some kind of flap open with a wooden tongue depressor, scalpel pressed against the soft tissue underneath.
‘Do I have to?’ Ianto nearly asked - mouth open, in fact - before shutting it with a snap. Sighing, he walked down the stairs, rolling up his sleeves.
“What do you want me to do?” He picked up a couple of instruments from Owen’s tray, hoping he’d just be holding bits of…whatever it was…out of the way. Thankfully, that was all Owen trusted him with. He allowed his mind to drift, ignoring Owen’s running commentary, hoping to God that this wasn’t going to end badly.
Of course, he should have known as soon as he said that - even thought it - that things would go horribly, horribly wrong.
“Um…Owen?” He asked, looking over at the other man a little nervously. “A light’s started blinking.” Owen glanced up at him.
“It’s fine. It’s connected to this gland-thing here. I’ll just cut through….ah.” Owen swallowed. Hard.
Eyes wide, Ianto looked over at him. “That wasn’t a good ‘ah’, was it?” Owen shook his head. “Jack’s gonna kill you, isn’t he?”
“Most likely. Unless this thing kills me first.” Ianto tried to back away, still holding bits of the…thing, which seemed to have glued themselves to the metal implements. He dropped them, ducking down as the device started to give off a high-pitched whine. Owen had already hidden underneath one of the work benches, using an empty supply tray as a shield.
Five minutes later, they were still cowering either side of the autopsy bay, waiting for…what? Ianto stood, cautiously, pressed against the tiled wall. He glanced across at Owen, who, true to form, was still hiding behind his ‘shield’. Ianto licked dry lips nervously, looking at the alien machine, which continued to blink and whine ominously, while apparently doing nothing else. Taking a deep breath, Ianto took a step forward.
“I think it’s-" He didn’t get to finish his ill-advised sentence, as a wave of light billowed out from one side of the machine, hitting Ianto firmly in the chest. He was thrown against the wall, tiles breaking against his head and back with an ominous ‘crack’.
**********************
“How are we going to tell him?” He knew that voice…
“What do you mean, we? This is your bloody fault, Owen!!” A female voice hissed. Ianto twitched. No, didn’t like that one. Too loud.
“You’re the bleeding heart, Gwen - this stuff’s your job!” Ianto frowned, eyes still closed. Anger, he could feel it…smell it. And want…God, the air reeked of it.
“Mrph?” Blearily, he tried to force his eyes open, only to shut them again immediately.
“S’bright.” Voice dry, throat gritty. He swallowed, tried to speak again. “N s’loud.” He twitched, wondering why he was lying on his side. Felt something against his arm, something…furry. He shifted his arm away, strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He covered his face with his hand, slowly opening his eyes.
“It’s alright, Ianto. I’ve turned the lights down.” Gwen. Her voice was softer now, he could tell. But still, so loud…Everything was so loud. He looked around the dim room, frowning.
“I…why’s everything all grey?”
“Christ…” Owen swore, out of sight. “His vision’s probably changed as well.”
“What?!” feeling decidedly more awake, Ianto tried to roll over, sit up. And yowled. His hand flew to his back, eyes opening wide as he felt...
“Owen…” He spoke through gritted teeth, doing his best to stay calm. “Why the buggering fuck do I have a tail?” Said tail was now twitching at the tip, back and forth, looking at ill-at-ease as the rest of Ianto.
“Uh…look, mate…” Owen appeared at the end of the bed, arms folded.
“Don’t. Don’t even bother.” Ianto growled, not quite literally, clutching at the bed as he fought the urge to lunge at Owen. Something itched, tickling the side of his face. Shakily, he brought a hand up to his face, back through his hair, towards…ears. Furry. Pointy. Ears.
“It’s not that bad…” Gwen murmured soothingly. “You look quite cute, really.” She tried to smile, reeking of lies.
“I’m a sodding cat, Gwen. And if it’s not that bad, why is Owen sweating? You reek, Owen. You’re afraid, because you don’t know what the fuck you’ve done.” Ianto’s voice was deathly quiet, tail still flicking quietly against the bed, fingers curling as they dug in to the sheets. He stared at Owen, coolly, before letting his gaze flick around the room, taking in the world in shades of grey.
“You put me in a cell?!” He’d gone beyond anger now, into pure astonishment. Nothing should surprise him by now, he knew…but somehow, the world had managed to ruin his day once again.
“It’s for your own protection, love. We didn’t want you waking up near the…device.” Gwen winced.
Snorting in disbelief, Ianto shook his head. Bollocks. He could hear her pulse racing from here, the concern in her voice, even as the stench of her filled the air. And he was surprised the weevils hadn’t gone mad by now, with the thick waves of lust rolling off those two. Equally surprised that they hadn’t jumped each other already…oh, but wait. They already had. Scents mingled so close they were nearly the same.
He pulled his feet up, arms wrapped around his legs, hugging his knees as he watched them, ears twitching a little. The weevils were loud, so loud, and he pressed his hands to his ears in a bid to shut them out.
“Ianto?” Gwen placed a hand on his arm. “What is it, pet?”
“Don’t.” He stiffened, snarling. “Don’t fucking call me that.” She stammered an apology, moving away, and he couldn’t help but smirk a little as her pulse raced once more. Slowly, he let his hands fall away, wincing at the growling from the cell next door.
“Let me out of here?” Gwen glanced at Owen, who shrugged.
“He’s awake, he’s…mostly intact. Scans don’t show anything physically wrong with him-“
“You mean apart from the fact I’ve got sodding cat ears and a tail.” Ianto drawled, deadpan. He turned, sliding off the bed, swaying on his feet for a second. Things were a little different, his tail setting off his center of balance even as it tried to compensate. He ran a hand through his hair, managing to avoid his ears.
As he stepped forward, his ears swivelled towards the door, and he paused. Stepped out of the cell, shoulders hunched as he had to walk past the Weevil. He had the door open as Jack landed at the bottom of the stairs, Ianto stepping through with a shaky smile in place. It faded in the face of Jack’s blank stare, though there was a wicked twinkle in now-green eyes as Ianto’s nostrils flared slightly.
Ok, so maybe this could have a couple of advantages. But Ianto knew Jack was wearing the stripy shirt that made his eyes even more inhumanly blue, and he couldn’t bloody appreciate it properly. Somehow that gaze wasn’t the same in shades of grey. The heat coming off Jack, both literal and emotional, was almost like a wall, so thick that Ianto almost felt like he was going to choke.
But oh, what a way to die. It took Ianto a moment to realise that the low throbbing purr was coming from him, and a flush coloured pale skin as he ducked his head a little. The purr died down a bit, though Ianto couldn’t resist moving closer to Jack.
Jack, for his part, looked nothing less than highly amused, though there was a spark of heat in his eyes that gave away what Ianto had already picked up. He reached out a hand to Ianto, intrigued as to just how catlike he had become. Ianto ducked his head, nuzzling against Jack’s hand, only stopping as Owen cleared his throat pointedly in the background.
Flushing still, he stood. “Sorry. I uh…yes.” He straightened, hands clasped loosely behind his back, tail swinging gently from side to side.
“As I was saying…” Owen tried to sound like he knew what he was talking about; for once, Ianto didn’t have to blindly trust his words. “For the most part - obvious physical changes aside - Ianto’s perfectly fine. Vision, hearing - I’m assuming - sense of smell…all feline.” Owen’s voice faltered a little as he watched Ianto, who was switching between smirking slightly at him, and sneaking glances at Jack.
Who couldn’t take his eyes off the tail. Ianto was testing it out, able to control the movement of his tail a little better now, watching as Jack’s eyes followed it from side to side, even as it snaked up Ianto’s back, curling over one shoulder.
Gwen had stepped closer now too, a little intrigued herself. She’d been able to touch the tail and ears whilst Ianto was unconscious, but to see them moving…it was fascinating. Of course, that fascination had nothing to do with the easy confidence Ianto was radiating, the soft purr that continued unabated. She reached out a hand, pausing just out of reach.
“Can I?” She murmured, fingertips inches from his hair.
Ianto was running his tail through his fingers now, almost forgetting that Owen and Gwen were even there. He snapped his head around as Gwen stepped close, eyes flashing for a moment. He nodded, blinking slowly as soft fingers threaded through his hair.
Smiling nervously, Gwen scratched softly behind his ears, the expression becoming more confident as Ianto’s eyes slipped half-closed, rumbling purr in his chest.
“God, don’t stop doing that…” Ianto murmured, voice a little throaty as he tilted his head, arching into her hand.
“Gwen.” Voice a little louder than necessary, Jack’s jaw twitched slightly, as Gwen snatched her hand away. “I want you and Owen to research that thing. Carefully. Who knows what other tricks those guys had up their sleeves.” Gwen nodded, stepping past Jack and heading upstairs. Owen looked between Ianto and Jack, considered trying to explain himself, then decided that running away was a much better option. Especially when that meant he was following Gwen up stairs.
Ianto’s head swivelled to follow the both of them, smirk on his face. “They’ll be having sex in the supply cabinet in under ten minutes.” He murmured, letting his tail fall free of his fingers. He turned back to Jack, still looking rather pleased with himself. He took a few steps forward - prowled towards Jack - pressing close.
“Jack!” Owen yelled from upstairs. “The Cat-O-Matic started making noises again!” Ianto snarled as he pulled away from Jack, glaring in the direction of the stairs.
“When did Owen give it a name?” Ianto murmured coolly, turning and running up the stairs. Jack was right behind him, chuckling.
”Well, you were unconscious, we couldn’t rely on your rhyming skills.” Jack pointed out, slapping Ianto’s arse gently as they reached the top of the stairs, running towards the Autopsy room.
Ianto hissed quietly, walking, finding his shoes incredibly uncomfortable. He was almost scared to kick them off, but thankfully his feet looked perfectly normal underneath. It just felt odd. He raced after Jack, trying to ignore the uncomfortable way his trousers trapped his tail. This was going to take some getting used to. He leant on the railing, looking down at the device, while Owen tried to breathlessly explain from the stairs.
“I didn’t touch it, I swear. It just started blinking and whining like it did before.” Ianto nodded, sniffing the air carefully, frowning slightly. Holding on to the railing with one hand, he climbed through, smoothly dropping to all fours beside the autopsy table.
“Ianto!” Jack frowned, moving as if to come after him.
“It’s all right, Jack. Not as if it can do any more damage to me, is it?” Ianto looked up, smirking a little. He picked up a couple of Owen’s instruments, managing to pin flaps of tissue back, exposing the machinery underneath.
“Right, Owen…” He glanced up at the rather pale-looking medic. “What do I do to stop this then?”
“Me? How the bloody hell should I know?” Owen protested, holding his hands up. “Last time I went near it the thing nearly exploded. And look how well that one ended.” He gestured to Ianto, who hissed quietly at him. And then looked rather startled that he had. Tosh and Gwen looked on, wide-eyed, while Jack still didn’t seem to be able to get past amusement at Ianto’s appearance.
“Right. Thanks for that, Owen. You’re a great help.” Ianto drawled, crouching down in front of the device. He sniffed it, nose nearly nudging the machine. He could hear the others behind him, a quartet of quiet inhales as they all held their breath.
Tilting his head, he eyed the machine, focused. He purred quietly, a soft questioning ‘mrow?’ slipping out. And immediately, the device powered down, all the lights switching off as it fell silent. Smiling smugly, Ianto stood, hands on his hips.
“What…how’d you do that?” Owen looked at him, then at the machine, then back at Ianto. Who just continued to grin at him, tail swinging gently from side to side. Actually, he had no idea why making cat-noises at the machine had worked. But he wasn’t about to tell Owen that.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be sorting out those files on UFO sightings.” He walked past the rest of the team, who turned to follow him with their eyes, before looking over at Jack.
“That was Ianto, right? Our Ianto? The bloke who barely says two words to anyone all day?” Owen gestured at Ianto’s retreating back. “Since when did he grow enough balls to do…that?”
Jack smirked, hands in his pockets. “It’s always the quiet ones.” Whistling softly, he walked up to his office, leaving a spluttering Owen in the hands of Gwen and Tosh.
*********************Present Day**********************
Jaw clenched, Owen had tried his best to ignore them, staring at his work so intently that it was amazing it hadn’t burst into flames. He looked up, throwing his pen on the table as he rolled his eyes.
“Oh, for fuck's sake...GET A ROOM!” He walked off towards the autopsy room, pushing past Gwen who was still watching them, entranced.
“We could use this one…” Jack smirked. “Always wanted to do it on a desk.” He caught Tosh’s blush, as she looked away, trying to look busy but sneaking glances at them every few seconds. Jack watched her as he nibbled on Ianto’s ear, hands sliding up and down Ianto’s back.
Ianto grinned, arching against Jack, a soft happy mew escaping him. He looked back over his shoulder, smirking at Tosh’s flushed cheeks. Pressed against Jack from head to toe, he slowly slid down his body. On his knees, he nuzzled the bulge in Jack’s pants, purring as his tongue scraped over fabric.
“Oh my god.” Jack murmured, torn between shock - that Ianto was actually doing this, in public - and the need to have Ianto sucking him, right fucking now.
Tosh squeaked as she looked over, murmuring a soft exclamation of disbelief. She couldn’t look away, shifting uncomfortably in her chair, eyes wide. Gwen couldn’t even speak, staring at the two men, licking dry lips as she gasped.
One hand still tangled in Ianto’s hair, rubbing gently behind his ears, Jack bit his lip, unable to take his eyes off the gorgeous man on his knees. Ianto’s eyes fluttered shut, slowly, a look of utter bliss on his face. His hands slid up Jack’s thighs as he rubbed his face against Jack’s hip, purring. His tail was curled around his knees, resting against Jack’s ankle, the tip twitching ever so slightly. He opened his eyes slowly, fingers reaching Jack’s belt, green eyes on Jack’s face as he slowly undid the belt.
A slow grin spread across Jack’s face as he watched, eyebrow raised in question. He continued to rub behind Ianto’s ears, enjoying the vibration of his purrs against his leg.
“Uh guys…” Eyes still on Ianto, he swallowed hard. “I suggest…Oh fuck…”
Ianto blinked, not even registering that Jack was talking, that there were people watching. He pulled Jack’s belt free of his trousers, dropping it to the floor. Gently gripping the edge of Jack’s trousers between his teeth, he managed to get the button undone. His tongue curled against the zip, touching warm flesh above for a moment, sucking the tab into his mouth. Grasping it between his teeth, he unzipped Jack's trousers, fingers curling and uncurling against Jack's thighs.
“Are they done ye-OH MY GOD.” Owen made the mistake of coming back in, nearly giving himself whiplash as he quickly turned away.
“Uhm…Owen…I think I need to have you look at…uh…” Gwen wandered over to Owen, unable to take her eyes off Ianto and Jack, pink flush high in her cheeks. Jack smirked, able to see Tosh watching them still. He looked down, silently daring Ianto to continue.
On to Chapter Two