Accidentally In Love
LJ is still being horrible... :-(
TITLE: Accidentally In Love
RATING: free for all! :P
SUMMARY: When did Jack find himself in love again?
DISCLAIMER: Me no own. Still. *sobs*
'That's it!' Ianto yelled, an angry flush reddening his cheeks. 'Get out! It's over!'
Jack glared at him. 'Fine. But don't come crying to me when you regret it!'
He grabbed his coat off the stand and stormed out the small flat, slamming the door behind him.
Ianto stared at the door for a long moment, still trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened. As it slowly began to sink in, he felt tears prickle behind his eyes and sagged against the wall, fighting the urge to curl up in bed and cry.
Jack didn't know where he was going, and didn't care. He ignored the SUV parked on the pavement, and instead set off on foot. He felt tears burning in his eyes, and he let the angry tears spill over and down his cheeks.
He didn't know how long he walked, but he finally came to a stop outside a bar. Although he didn't drink, he might find some company to try and forget the pain with.
He pushed open the door and slipped inside, not feeling up to his usual dramatic entrance. The bar was hot and packed, crammed with people all intent on having a good time or whiling away the night with booze and laughter.
Jack took a seat by the bar and ordered a water. The bar-maid smirked, but plonked down a grimy glass in front of his.
Eyeing the water with distaste (what would Ianto say?) Jack scanned the crowds for a person that would catch his eye.
He felt quite distressed as he realised that he was subconsciously comparing them all with Ianto - Ianto's got bluer eyes than her, his arse isn't as nice as Ianto's, Ianto's smile is warmer than his...
Jack shook himself and turned back to his drink, taking a cautious sip. He shuddered as he thought about what he might catch from the dirtiness of the glass, and quickly set it back down.
A slim dark-blonde slid onto the stool next to him. He flickered a small smile at her, not feeling up to a full-on grin.
'Can I get you a drink?' he offered. She smiled back shyly, green-gray eyes lowered. 'No thanks. I don't trust the cleanliness of the glasses here.' Her accent wasn't from around here - upmarket London, maybe.
Jack forced a chuckle.
'I was actually just coming here to see if you were alright,' she admitted. 'You look like you've been crying.' She blushed, wrapping a dark blonde lock of hair around a forefinger. 'I'm not normally this forward, but if you want...'
'No, but thanks,' Jack said. 'I'd normally take you up on that, but I-'
'Just had a break-up?' she said sympathetically.
Jack nodded. 'I guess you could say so.'
'D'you want to talk about her?'
'Him.' Jack found himself correcting her.
She looked taken aback. 'What? You're-'
'I prefer to think of it as 'open-minded',' Jack said dryly. 'I won't blame you if you leave now.'
She looked offended at the suggestion. 'Why would I do that? So, d'you want to talk about him?'
Jack stared at the table-top for a moment, trying to get his thoughts in order. 'His name is Ianto Jones,' he started, unsure of what to say. 'When I first met him, he saved my life.' He chuckled sadly. 'I like to call him Jones Ianto Jones.'
The blonde smiled encouragingly. 'Go on.'
'He's got this beautiful voice,' Jack continued, finding it easier as he went along. 'And these gorgeous blue eyes. He's really quiet, but he's got a wicked sense of humour. He makes amazing coffee and knows everything, right down to the smallest detail.' He swallowed hard as he thought of all the things he liked about Ianto. 'He can always make me feel better after a hard day, and he never complains. He put up with all of my shit and still took me back at the end of it.'
She touched his arm gently. 'He sounds wonderful.'
'He is,' Jack admitted, surprised to find tears on his cheeks again. He wiped at his eyes with his cuff, embarrassed to have her see him cry.
The woman was looking at him oddly. 'And you love him,' she said.
'What?' Jack asked, taken aback.
'You love him. I can tell. You might not know it, but you love him.' The blonde shrugged. 'I can see it as you talk about him,' she explained. 'Your face kinda lights up from the inside, and you get this small smile.'
Jack stared at her. When did girls her age get so perceptive. 'Wow,' he said finally.
She patted his hand. 'So you need to go back and tell Ianto that you love him.'
Jack smiled. 'You know what? You're right. Dead right.'
He jumped off the stool, and started for the door. Hand on the door-knob, he paused and looked back at her. 'What's your name?' he shouted over the clamour of the bar.
The blonde smiled. 'Sally. Sally Sparrow.'
Jack grinned back happily at her. 'Thankyou, Sally. You're a very clever girl.'
Ianto had given into the urge to huddle in bed and have a good sob. He had taken Jack's pillow, the scent of his lover's pheromones comforting his as he cried.
He heard the sound of a key turning in the lock and froze in confusion. The only other person who had a key was Jack, so what was he doing back?
Jack peered around the door nervously, tear-stains clearly tracked down his cheeks. Ianto felt a stab of guilt for making the captain cry, but he squashed it down. After all, Jack had made him cry too. He got out of bed and hesitated in the doorway of the bedroom.
'Ianto?' Jack's voice was soft. Gentle, even.
'What're you doing back?' Ianto asked warily.
Jack swallowed and glanced at the floor. 'Uh... well... the thing is, uh, that I, uh, well, I realised something this evening,' he stammered.
Ianto frowned. What was Jack going on about? The last time he had seen Jack this nervous was when he had been asking him out, back in that office block, when-
No. Mustn't think about that.
Jack was struggling to say something. 'This evening I went to a bar,' he started, and Ianto felt a shard of glass pierce his heart. What was Jack saying? Was he saying that he'd found somebody else?
'And I was talking to this blonde, and...'
Oh God. He had found somebody else, hadn't he?
'...and she helped me realise that, whatever I said earlier, whatever happened before, I love you.'
Wait. What? Ianto frowned. 'This isn't the time for joking around, Jack.'
Jack met his gaze earnestly. 'There's no joke, Ianto. I mean it. I love you. I never meant to fall in love, but accidentally in love I found myself.'
Ianto opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He blinked quickly, still reeling. Instead, he simply took a couple of steps forward and kissed him, wrapping his arms around Jack and hoping that it said everything that words couldn't say.
Jack pulled back, blue eyes searching Ianto's. Ianto smiled at him. 'I love you too, Jack.'
A massive grin split Jack's face, larger than Ianto had ever seen before. He leant forward and stole another kiss before resting his forehead against the Welshman's. 'Well then, Jones Ianto Jones, why don't you show me just how much?'
The next evening, when Sally Sparrow returned from work, she found a huge bunch of flowers on her doorstep. She frowned. Who would send her flowers?
She bent down and checked the label. In fine copper-plate handwriting were the words:
To Sally Sparrow,
Thanks.
Love from Jack and Ianto.
She smiled to herself and picked up the flowers. 'There's my good deed for the day done, then,' she thought to herself. 'I wish you the best of luck, Jack and Ianto.'
Because Of You