Fic: The Sea After a Storm (13/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 13
Rating: R
Warnings: Little language
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 big talk comes to a close…
Notes: Day. From. Hell. Apologies for the late posting, especially to my lovely UK readers! 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 Thirteen
"Jack?" Ianto asked softly. He wasn't sure his Captain was awake and he really didn't want to move to find out. He was finally where he'd longed to be for the last four months, wrapped in Jack's arms.
After their heated discussion and Ianto's confession, Jack had surprised Ianto with a kiss that was sweet with forgiveness and rich with promise. Jack had surprised Ianto even more by not taking the kiss any further. He had snogged Ianto senseless and then pulled him down onto the sofa, but where the old Jack would have immediately started tearing Ianto's clothes off, this new Jack just held him close and kissed him again. Ianto had drifted off to sleep at some point, the exhausting tension he'd felt from the moment he'd first seen Jack - pistol raised, shit-eating-grin firmly in place - had finally faded, leaving him drained.
"Jack?" Ianto whispered again, his lips soft against the skin of Jack's throat.
"Hmmm?" Jack hummed.
"Are you asleep?"
"Mmmmhmmm," Jack replied and then chuckled.
"What happens now?" Ianto asked. He shifted slightly, resting his head on Jack's shoulder.
Jack's arms tightened. "I vote for more of this," he murmured, pressing a kiss into Ianto's hair. "God, you smell good. I used to dream you were with me. I'd wake up and I'd swear I could smell you, that my arms were free and wrapped around you just like this. And then I'd remember…"
"You weren't - I mean, what I saw in the vision, when I… reached you - were you chained like that for a long time?"
Jack froze for a second. Ianto would have sworn his heart even skipped a few beats. "Yeah," he said roughly. "A long time. The man you saw, he figured out early on that I couldn't die. Had fun experimenting on me, finding out which deaths took me the longest to come back from, things like that."
"God, Jack, that's - " Ianto couldn't think of a word vile enough for that man in black. "How did you survive?" He flushed and buried his face against Jack's chest. "I mean, I know why it didn't kill you but how did you… endure, I guess is the best word."
"I thought about you, about Tosh and Gwen and Owen, about coming home. I thought about all the things I know are in store for the human race, things that could only happen if we kept fighting. I knew there was no way the Doctor would give up, so I just held on until we could stop the M- " Jack broke off. "What did you call him? The man in black?"
Ianto looked up. "Who was he?" he asked.
But Jack was already shaking his head. "No. No, I can't, I won't tell you anything more about that year. The year that never was," he said softly. When Ianto started to protest, Jack silenced him with a deep kiss and then said, "It's too dangerous. I don't know what would happen to you if you remembered anything that happened during that time."
"How could I remember it if it didn't happen for me?"
"How could you cross time and space into a parallel dimension and find me?"
"I… I don't know," Ianto admitted.
"Neither do I," Jack said brusquely. "So we're not taking any chances."
After a long silence, Ianto asked a question that had been on his mind since Jack had told him the visions were real.
"This connection between us, do you think… I mean, is it still there?"
"I don't know," Jack said pensively. He chuckled and pulled back, looking right at Ianto. He positively leered. "Can you tell what I'm thinking right now?"
"A blind monk could tell what you're thinking right now," Ianto said dryly. "I'm serious, Jack."
"I know, I just couldn't resist." Jack shifted them slightly, moving onto his back with Ianto held closely along his side. "Honestly? I don't know. Is it something you want to explore?"
Ianto hesitated, his fingers absently toying with a button on Jack's shirt. He answered as truthfully as he could, hoping he didn't hurt Jack's feelings. "No. No, I don't. I am glad I tried, glad I was able to find you. It - " Ianto laughed quietly. "To say it eased my mind is an enormous understatement."
"I'm sorry," Jack sighed. "I really fucked up and I know it. No matter what I planned, I should have guessed that anything involving the Doctor wouldn't go smoothly. I spent a good portion of that year kicking myself for not leaving a message somehow. It was stupid and thoughtless and I'm really sorry." Jack sighed again. "As for the psychic stuff? I think it's best to just leave it alone."
"It was… big," Ianto said.
"Too big," Jack agreed. "And too hard on you. It's something that becomes more common in the future as humanity evolves, but that time's a long way off."
"Is that why it worked? Because you're from the future?"
Jack shrugged and kissed Ianto's temple. "Possibly, but I never showed much aptitude for it. I never cared for anyone being in my head and it's hard to keep it a one way street. I was always better at shielding than sharing."
Ianto nodded. Sounds about right, he thought ruefully, wondering if Jack would be able to open up more in the future.
"So, tell me what you really want," Jack said softly.
"What do you mean?" Ianto furrowed his brow and pulled back to look at Jack.
"You asked me what happens now. What do you want to happen?"
"I want…" Ianto thought hard. "I want more of this, of being together."
"Sounds good to me. What about at Torchwood? You were slowly getting more involved in fieldwork when I left and it looks like you really stepped up these last few months. Did you want to keep on?"
"I… yes. Yes, I do."
"Good," Jack said. "Can I beg you to still make the coffee, though?" he asked with a laugh.
Ianto's chuckle mingled with Jack's. "Of course, sir."
"Good," Jack repeated. He tugged Ianto closer and fitted their mouths together for a long, lingering kiss.
When Ianto finally broke the kiss, it was with a regretful sigh. At Jack's questioning look, Ianto pulled away and sat up.
"What is it?" Jack asked. He ran a comforting hand over Ianto's back.
"I'm not, I mean, I really want to but I think, I mean - "
Jack rested his hand on Ianto's shoulder, giving him a little squeeze. "Hey, I'm not asking for anything here, Ianto."
"Yeah?" Ianto asked.
"Yeah. Tell you what. We'll go down and have a massage or a seaweed wrap or something. Okay? Indulge a little. Drink some cucumber water and not think for a bit."
Ianto smiled and heaved a little sigh of relief. He nodded. "Sounds great," he said.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jack and Ianto spent the afternoon being pampered down in the spa. They ran into both Tosh and Owen at different times throughout the day as they did the same. At one point they saw Gwen and her fiancé in the restaurant when the rest of the team met for dinner, but they were luckily seated across the room from the happy couple so no awkward questions arose from Rhys.
After a long dinner with several bottles of wine, Ianto found himself in the hallway outside his room with Jack once again. He hesitated, fiddling with his door key as Jack said goodnight to Tosh. He didn't want to just bolt but he also didn't want to risk having to turn Jack down if he wanted to come inside. After the day's revelations, Ianto wondered if he was being conceited to even think that Jack might want to spend the night. He was so distracted by the thoughts tumbling around in his mind that he jerked when he heard his name.
"Ianto." Jack was suddenly right in front of him, a small smile hovering around his lips. "I can hear you worrying."
Ianto chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry," he offered. He took a deep breath. "Thanks for today."
"You're welcome," Jack said softly, moving ever so slightly into Ianto's space. "I'm glad we talked."
"Me, too. I - er - goodnight, Jack," Ianto said in a rush. He held his breath, wondering what was going to happen next.
Disappointment flashed briefly across Jack's face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "Goodnight, Ianto," Jack whispered. He brushed his lips over Ianto's in a feather-light caress and then stepped back. "Sleep well. I'll see you bright and early on Monday."
"Monday?" Ianto asked with a frown. It was only Saturday night.
Jack nodded. "Barring a full scale invasion, I should be able to manage the Hub 'til then. Enjoy the rest of your weekend."
Ianto watched Jack walk down the hall towards the elevators, torn between the knowledge that he was making the right decision and the mad desire to drag Jack through the door and into his bed. He called out. "Jack!"
His Captain turned and raised a questioning eyebrow.
Ianto bit his lip. The words to call Jack back were right on the tip of his tongue but he just couldn't bring himself to utter them. "Don't… um, don't touch my coffee maker," he finished lamely.
Jack grinned. "Yes, sir."
TBC in Chapter Fourteen