Fic: The Sea After a Storm (8/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 8
Rating: R
Warnings: None really, just don’t feel like changing the rating :)
Spoilers: Season Two thru Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2x01)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which the team get settled at the hotel…
Notes: Back to the Ianto!Verse. :) Sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thrace_adams for all the help and support; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Eight
The team rode up in the elevator together, Gwen continuing on to the top floor by herself. Everyone was starting to fade, as if the mere proximity to so many beds had reminded them all that they'd been awake for more than thirty hours. Jack said a few words to Tosh and then to Owen before each of them went into their rooms. The sound of Owen's door closing seemed to echo in the quiet hallway.
Jack and Ianto were alone again.
Ianto stood outside his door and gripped his keycard as Jack turned and walked slowly towards him. He hadn't heard all of Jack's conversations with Tosh or Owen, but it seemed to be something along the lines of 'I'm sorry, good work, goodnight'. He swallowed hard, wondering if Jack would have anything more to say to him.
Jack stopped a few scant inches in front of Ianto. For a long minute he just stared, his blue eyes raking over Ianto's features. For his part, Ianto didn't waste any energy fighting the blood rising in his cheeks; he focused everything on trying to remember to breathe.
"Ianto, I…" Jack faltered. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I lied earlier."
Ianto furrowed his brow. "When?"
"When I said… when I said I came back for all of you. I mean, I did, of course, to some extent anyway. What we do, Torchwood, the team, defending the Earth," he said with an odd little smile. "It's important. But what I said first, that was the truth. I came back for you, Ianto, and I hope you'll give me the chance to prove it."
Ianto could feel his mouth drop open in surprise. He snapped it closed and tried to speak but nothing came out. He simply could not think of a thing to say so he did the next best thing. With a strangled sound somewhere between a groan and a sob, Ianto pushed forward into Jack's arms and kissed him.
Jack was surprised, but recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around Ianto and kissing him back. For several long moments, Ianto just floated on sensation - the feel of Jack's hands on his back, in his hair, touching his face, the taste of Jack in his mouth again, Jack's dizzying scent intensifying and surrounding them. How long they stood there, locked in each other's arms, Ianto couldn't say, but eventually a desperate need for air forced them apart.
Jack looked at Ianto with heavy-lidded eyes and whispered his name as he reached for him again, but Ianto's better sense suddenly prevailed.
"Wait," he said softly.
"Hmm?" Jack hummed as he nuzzled Ianto's neck.
"Jack… please… please stop."
At the word 'stop' Jack pulled back instantly. He looked adorably confused for a second and then he shook his head. "Right, stop. Sorry, I just got carried away."
"It's my fault," Ianto said as he shook his head. "I… I promised myself I wouldn't do this. I can't just go back to the way we were before… before you left. We - " He swallowed hard. "We need… I need to…"
Jack nodded slowly. "Talk," he finished for Ianto.
"Yeah. Yeah, we do. I… a lot happened while you were away and I'm not sure…" Ianto trailed off and then gathered up his courage. "I'm not sure you'll still want me when you know everything," he said miserably.
Jack reached up to cup Ianto's face. He stroked his thumb over Ianto's cheekbone and smiled. "I seriously doubt that," he said softly. "But you're right. We should talk, but not now. You need some rest. You look tired."
Ianto nodded and, after leaning into Jack's hand for a second, turned away to open his door. Jack took a few steps down the hall towards his own room and then looked back.
"Ianto?" he called softly.
"Yes, sir?" Ianto said with a half-smile.
"I don't want to just go back to what we had before either. I wanted you to know that. Sleep well," Jack murmured.
Ianto nodded, too overcome to speak. He let himself into the room and closed the door behind him. He leaned against it for support, his legs shaking. His whole body was shaking, every nerve tingling and aching for more. He shook his head and pushed himself off the door and into the room.
The suite was lovely, the king sized bed taking up one wall with a small grouping of armchairs and breakfast table arranged in a conservatory-like area near the balcony. Ianto pulled off his tie as he strolled around the room, peeping into the ensuite to admire the deep tub and huge shower as he slowly undressed. He pulled on the plush hotel robe and bundled his clothing into the proper bag and called down for laundry service before securing the door and turning off most of the lights. He decided to treat himself to a hot bath before turning in. As the tub filled, he perused the mini-bar and chose a one-glass-sized bottle of red that wasn't half bad for having a screw-top. Feeling deliciously decadent, Ianto added a bit of bath oil to the water and slipped into the tub.
His sigh of contentment bounced off the tile and made him chuckle. He sipped his wine and enjoyed a nice long soak until he realised he was falling asleep. He drained the tub and stepped into the walk-in shower for a quick rinse and then headed for the bed. Sitting on the edge for a moment, he made sure his mobile was on and within easy reach. He also plugged his iPod into the dock in the clock on the bedside table and scrolled through his music, looking for something to suit his mood. He finally settled on Elgar's cello concerto in E minor, the haunting strains of the music a perfect compliment to the turmoil of dread and desire that were warring in him whenever he thought of talking to Jack.
Jack. Ianto stroked his finger over his lips and snuggled down into the bed. Jack. The smile was still on his face when he fell asleep.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The first thing Ianto noticed when he woke up was that he was sleeping sprawled across his whole bed and yet he wasn't hanging off the edge anywhere. He stretched and tried to catch the edges of his mattress with his fingers but couldn't reach. Confused, he raised his head and looked around.
Oh, right, hotel, he thought hazily. God, this is a big bed.
The second thing he noticed was that he was starving. He shifted onto his side and curled around one of the many pillows scattered across the bed. He fought the hunger, closed his eyes and tried to drift off again.
His stomach growled.
Ianto sighed. So much for sleeping in, he thought. He rolled over and glanced at the clock. Or not. It was just after eleven which meant he'd been out for more than twelve hours. He stretched luxuriously and then pulled himself out of bed. Pulling on the hotel robe again, he checked the room service menu. It looked like he was probably out of luck for getting breakfast delivered since the cut off was 10:30 but he needed to eat something.
"Yes, this is room 603. I was wondering if there was any chance I could still get breakfast."
"Mr. Jones?"
Ianto was startled. "Yes," he said cautiously into the phone.
"Ah, good. Captain Harkness arranged for your breakfast early this morning, we were just waiting to hear from you. We will have the selections up to you in less than half an hour. Will that be sufficient?"
"Uh… yeah, yes, that should be fine. Um, wait - what do you mean by selections?" Ianto asked.
The room service manager chuckled. "I think you'll be able to find anything you want on the cart, Mr. Jones. Captain Harkness was very… thorough in his choices."
Ianto smiled. "I can just imagine. Thank you. I'm sorry to call so late."
"No trouble at all, Mr. Jones. One of my boys will be up shortly."
Ianto thanked the man again and hung up the phone. His hand hovered over his mobile for a long moment as he tried to decide if he was ready to talk to Jack. In the end, he sighed and reached for his iPod instead. He set it to shuffle all and turned up the volume. When the first notes of Snow Patrol's latest album filled the room, he smiled and headed for the shower. He and Jack could talk later, after he'd had some coffee and something to eat.
And if his annoying inner voice scolded him for delaying the inevitable, Ianto didn't listen.
TBC in Chapter Nine