Why Me?
Title: Why Me?
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 507
Summary: Ianto asks a question.
Spoilers: "Cyberwoman," "Fragments"
“Jack?”
It was dark; they’d turned off the lights hours ago, and here in Jack’s underground stronghold, there was no light from outside. Only the rhythm of Ianto’s breathing had told Jack the young man was awake - until he’d spoken.
“Hmm?”
“Why me?”
“What do you mean?”
“You could have anyone you want. Why me? What makes me special?”
Jack brought his hand to rest over Ianto’s heart while he thought, enjoying the feel of touching bare skin, still sweat-damp from their earlier activities. “It’s complicated.”
“If it were simple, I could have worked it out for myself.” Ianto pushed himself upright, fighting free of the sheets tangled around his legs; Jack, too, sat up, bereft of physical contact. “Tell me. Try, at least. Please?”
Jack sighed. “I have thought about it before, I do have an answer, but I’m not sure I like what it says about me. It goes back to parts of the past I’ve tried to forget about.”
“You’ve seen me at my worst,” Ianto said. Implied, but unspoken - let me see you at yours.
“That’s what it was, at first anyway,” Jack replied. “The worst in you appealed to the worst in me.”
“How do you mean?”
“You lied to me,” Jack said, “and I fell for it. I’m not easy to fool. Once I got over being angry that you lied to me and your cyber-girlfriend almost killed my team, I was intrigued. Call it professional respect, if you like.”
“You used to be a con man?” Ianto’d heard enough hints to know that, but he asked - so that they’d both acknowledge that he knew.
“Yeah.”
“I never was. I was just desperate enough to try anything.”
“Most people wouldn’t have thought to seduce me so I’d give them a job and they could take advantage of the facilities to help their girlfriend.”
“I didn’t seduce you!”
“No?” Jack asked. “Complimenting my coat at every opportunity? Wearing suits because you knew I liked it? The pterodactyl hunt?”
“Okay, part of that was to catch your interest so I could get into Torchwood,” Ianto admitted. “But partly, it was just to see if I could catch your interest.”
Jack laughed. “See, that’s why I always used to do that sort of thing,” he said. “For fun, to see if I could, and to get back at people who’d hurt me.”
“Seriously, though - that’s why you’re dating me and not off exploring history with your Doctor?”
“Yeah,” Jack said, with a slight laugh. “Seriously, though. You’re good at playing me. You make me feel things, even when I don’t want to, even when I don’t think I can. I need that, and I love it - and I love you.” He thought for a minute, then added, lightening the tone: “Besides, there aren’t many men who’d get hard from catching a pterodactyl - feeling you pressed against me then, that was when I realized you love a good hunt as much as I do. It’s good to have someone to share that with.”
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 507
Summary: Ianto asks a question.
Spoilers: "Cyberwoman," "Fragments"
“Jack?”
It was dark; they’d turned off the lights hours ago, and here in Jack’s underground stronghold, there was no light from outside. Only the rhythm of Ianto’s breathing had told Jack the young man was awake - until he’d spoken.
“Hmm?”
“Why me?”
“What do you mean?”
“You could have anyone you want. Why me? What makes me special?”
Jack brought his hand to rest over Ianto’s heart while he thought, enjoying the feel of touching bare skin, still sweat-damp from their earlier activities. “It’s complicated.”
“If it were simple, I could have worked it out for myself.” Ianto pushed himself upright, fighting free of the sheets tangled around his legs; Jack, too, sat up, bereft of physical contact. “Tell me. Try, at least. Please?”
Jack sighed. “I have thought about it before, I do have an answer, but I’m not sure I like what it says about me. It goes back to parts of the past I’ve tried to forget about.”
“You’ve seen me at my worst,” Ianto said. Implied, but unspoken - let me see you at yours.
“That’s what it was, at first anyway,” Jack replied. “The worst in you appealed to the worst in me.”
“How do you mean?”
“You lied to me,” Jack said, “and I fell for it. I’m not easy to fool. Once I got over being angry that you lied to me and your cyber-girlfriend almost killed my team, I was intrigued. Call it professional respect, if you like.”
“You used to be a con man?” Ianto’d heard enough hints to know that, but he asked - so that they’d both acknowledge that he knew.
“Yeah.”
“I never was. I was just desperate enough to try anything.”
“Most people wouldn’t have thought to seduce me so I’d give them a job and they could take advantage of the facilities to help their girlfriend.”
“I didn’t seduce you!”
“No?” Jack asked. “Complimenting my coat at every opportunity? Wearing suits because you knew I liked it? The pterodactyl hunt?”
“Okay, part of that was to catch your interest so I could get into Torchwood,” Ianto admitted. “But partly, it was just to see if I could catch your interest.”
Jack laughed. “See, that’s why I always used to do that sort of thing,” he said. “For fun, to see if I could, and to get back at people who’d hurt me.”
“Seriously, though - that’s why you’re dating me and not off exploring history with your Doctor?”
“Yeah,” Jack said, with a slight laugh. “Seriously, though. You’re good at playing me. You make me feel things, even when I don’t want to, even when I don’t think I can. I need that, and I love it - and I love you.” He thought for a minute, then added, lightening the tone: “Besides, there aren’t many men who’d get hard from catching a pterodactyl - feeling you pressed against me then, that was when I realized you love a good hunt as much as I do. It’s good to have someone to share that with.”