Fic: Chances (Torchwood Jack/Ianto PG)
Title: Chances
Author: magikalrhiannon
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG?
Spoilers: All up to Season 1 episode 6 'Countrycide'
Summary: Unable to determine if Ianto returns his affections, Jack sees something on Ianto's desk that makes him take a chance.
Word Count: 1747
Disclaimer: All rights belong to BBC and Russell T Davies. I'm just finger-painting in someone else's masterpiece. No infringement intended.
Notes: As always, I write for kajmere, cuz she owns me.
Prompt by evalentine99 for drunk!Ianto surprising Jack, include a red rose (I hope this meets your requirements!)
The Hub was empty save for Jack, in his office looking down on Ianto, who was typing something into his computer. Jack sighed to himself, as he crossed his arms over his chest and contemplated the man below.
He was an enigma. He worked longer hours than anyone else, which Jack assumed had more to do with wanting to escape memories than any sense of civic duty or desire to be there. He seemed receptive to Jack's flirting, yet he never instigated any or flirted back. In fact, mostly he just offered an amused quip with a small smirk before disappearing from the room for a couple of hours. Jack did, however, notice that when he'd taken Ianto to lunch the other day and an obviously gay waiter had tried hitting on him, Ianto had clammed up, became rigid and politely but formally declined any invitation the man had offered. So any flirting was acceptable from him alone. Which Jack wasn't sure was a good or a bad thing.
Perhaps it just meant that Jack was someone he considered safe and wouldn't take it any further than flirting?
And then there was the issue of Lisa.
Before Lisa, Jack was sure that Ianto was returning his flirtations, his affections. The signals were all there. But then they discovered his betrayal, and they had to kill the cyberwoman Ianto had hidden in the basemen in a somewhat misguided attempt to save what was his girlfriend. Jack couldn't describe how it felt to find out Ianto had brought that thing into his home, the betrayal he felt, but at the same time, it hurt Jack to know that he was the one to kill all that he had left of his girlfriend, who Ianto obviously loved very much.
When Lisa had knocked Ianto out, Jack revived him with a kiss. It was easier to make Ianto believe that it was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation than try to explain what happened. Especially since Jack didn't know himself. He saw Ianto on the ground, and instead of mouth-to-mouth, he just kissed him, and suddenly Ianto is coughing back to life, pushing him out of the way and chasing after Lisa, leaving a confused Jack in his wake.
That was before the cannibals. Jack rested a finger against his lips. The cannibals had been an ordeal for Ianto and Tosh, but he was sure that Ianto was the one who had lost the last of his innocence that trip. Jack remembered taking him home that night, sitting with him as he slept, tossing and turning, screaming with nightmares, screaming with pain.
If Ianto hadn't been so injured, he probably would have made a move on him that night. But he didn't.
And now, he didn't know if there was actually an attraction between him and Ianto, or if it had just been a distraction to keep him from noticing the cyberwoman in the basement.
“Jack.” Jack visibly jumped and turned to look at the doorway to his office. Ianto stood there. “I've shut everything down for the evening. Will there be anything else, sir?”
Jack opened his mouth to ask him to stay, to … but he shut his mouth again and shook his head.
“Very good, sir. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, sir.”
“Night, Ianto,” Jack said softly and watched as the man hesitated, offered a tight smile before he turned and left the office, heading out the Tourist Office tunnel.
Jack sighed deeply. Dammit. He turned and sat down at his desk, and watched on the CCTV as Ianto made his way to his car. As Ianto's car disappeared out of screen, Jack pressed the buttons on his keyboard to watch the vehicle as it made it's way to the apartment building Ianto resided in. When he saw that Ianto was safely inside the building, he switched off the monitor and got up.
He wandered around the Hub and looked for something to do to keep occupied.
There was nothing.
He looked at Ianto's computer station, and noticed sitting under the monitor in a glass of water was the rose he'd given Ianto yesterday on their way back to the office when they'd gone through a rose garden in the University grounds.
Jack had spotted the roses as they were walking back to the car and told Ianto he'd meet him there. He found a beautiful blood red rose, just starting to open, and grinned. Looking around, he picked it and carried it back to the car.
“Find what you were looking for, sir?” Ianto asked when Jack came back.
Jack smiled at Ianto, and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah I have,” he said, and offered Ianto the rose. “Beautiful this time of year aren't they,” he said softly.
Ianto took it and twirled the stem in his fingers. “Yes. Yes they are.” Ianto looked up at Jack with a small smile on his face. “We should go. You have that phone call with the Prime Minister at 2.30pm.”
“Ugh. Don't remind me,” Jack groaned, opening his door and getting inside.
“I have to, sir. It's my job.”
Jack decided then and there what he was going to do. He headed up to his office and grabbed his greatcoat, then headed for the SUV. On his way to the car, he flicked the rift monitor to remote monitoring on his wrist strap. He drove to Ianto's apartment building and easily found a park outside. He took the stairs two at a time.
When he reached Ianto's door, he took a deep breath before he knocked. There was a few minutes wait and some knocking over of furniture inside before the door opened and revealed a bleary looking Ianto, his tie half undone, his shirt pulled out of his pants and sleeves rolled up, and his feet bare.
“Ja-Sir. Jack. Sir. What are you doing here?” Ianto asked, blinking rapidly, running a hand through his now unruly black hair. The only light in the apartment was the flickering light from the television in the lounge room.
“Can I come in?” Jack asked, amused by Ianto's appearance.
“Uh.” Ianto looked behind him. “Uh, yep. Uh. Just... give me, give me one sec, okay?”
Jack nodded and Ianto shut the door in Jack's face. There was some more rummaging sounds and some clanking sounds - actually a lot of clanking sounds - before the door opened again and Ianto draped himself on his door, nearly falling off as it moved.
“Uh, hi.”
Jack moved inside. He turned around and looked at Ianto, as the younger man shut the door. He watched as he shut the door and then moved into the lounge room. There was something... off about him.
“Are you drunk?” Jack asked, following him into the lounge.
Ianto leaned over to turn on a lamp and would have fallen over if Jack hadn't grabbed his hips and pulled him back. Ianto stood up, his back flush against Jack's chest.
“Uh. Thank-thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Jack said into his ear.
“So. Ah, was there a reason you came over?” Ianto asked, not moving from Jack's embrace.
“I, um, you kept the rose,” Jack said softly, his lips brushing against Ianto's ear.
Ianto turned his head to look back at Jack. “You gave it to me,” he said simply.
Jack stared into his eyes, and his heart clenched. He ached with want. “Please tell me I'm not reading this wrong,” he whispered, and with one hand, cupped Ianto's cheek, pulling his face closer and kissed him. Ianto whimpered and pulled back.
“You're not,” he mumbled, licking his lips nervously.
“Not what?” Jack asked, his mouth hovering over Ianto's.
“Reading this wrong,” Ianto replied, and turned in Jack's arms as Jack kissed him again, his arms sliding around Ianto to bring him closer, holding him against his chest. Ianto opened his mouth and tentatively touched his tongue against Jack's.
Jack groaned. Ianto's languid and hesitant exploration of his mouth was sensual and exciting. Jack returned the exploration, tasting and teasing Ianto until the younger man's hips started to thrust against Jack's.
Jack ended the kiss. “Hey, hey, shhh, easy,” Jack soothed, stroking a hand down his back to calm Ianto. The younger man looked up at Jack with big, glassy eyes. “I wasn't sure if you wanted this.”
Ianto nodded. “I did... I do... I just... I haven't... before... you know, not, not with a-a bloke.”
Jack chuckled. “Not that much different to a woman, except the obvious, of course.”
Ianto closed his eyes. “That part is very different, sir.”
Jack twisted his fingers into Ianto's hair. “When we're like this? Call me 'Jack'. Leave 'sir' for the office.”
Ianto nodded, and rested his forehead on Jack's shoulder. “I think I'm going to pass out.”
“How many drinks have you had?” Jack asked, pressing a kiss to Ianto's cheek.
“I... I dunno, four, five? I kind of just, slammed them down I guess.”
Jack pulled Ianto's head back to look at him. “Tell me why.”
Ianto shrugged. “I...I'd promised myself that today I was going to...” he sighed.
“Going to what?” Jack prompted.
Ianto blushed. “I was going to ask you out,” he looked away. “I got cold feet. I couldn't do it, so I came home and … heh, got drunk instead!”
Jack smiled. “Oh Ianto,” he pressed a kiss to Ianto's lips. “I would have said yes, you know.”
Ianto looked up. “Good to know.”
“Ask me tomorrow,” Jack told him, and pulled Ianto with him as he headed for the door.
“Okay,” Ianto agreed.
“Promise?” Jack asked, turning and pressing a kiss to Ianto's lips.
Ianto grinned. “Promise.”
Jack nodded. “Okay. Go get some sleep,” Jack said. “That's an order.”
“Yes, sir... Jack.” Ianto chuckled. Jack smiled and stepped out of his flat. Ianto called out his name, and reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back against his chest, kissing him deeply. “Sleep well, Jack.”
“Night Ianto.”
When Jack got to his car, he looked up at Ianto's flat to see him standing at the window, watching. They each waved at the other.
Jack drove back to the Hub with a smile.
Sequel: Hangovers
Author: magikalrhiannon
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG?
Spoilers: All up to Season 1 episode 6 'Countrycide'
Summary: Unable to determine if Ianto returns his affections, Jack sees something on Ianto's desk that makes him take a chance.
Word Count: 1747
Disclaimer: All rights belong to BBC and Russell T Davies. I'm just finger-painting in someone else's masterpiece. No infringement intended.
Notes: As always, I write for kajmere, cuz she owns me.
Prompt by evalentine99 for drunk!Ianto surprising Jack, include a red rose (I hope this meets your requirements!)
The Hub was empty save for Jack, in his office looking down on Ianto, who was typing something into his computer. Jack sighed to himself, as he crossed his arms over his chest and contemplated the man below.
He was an enigma. He worked longer hours than anyone else, which Jack assumed had more to do with wanting to escape memories than any sense of civic duty or desire to be there. He seemed receptive to Jack's flirting, yet he never instigated any or flirted back. In fact, mostly he just offered an amused quip with a small smirk before disappearing from the room for a couple of hours. Jack did, however, notice that when he'd taken Ianto to lunch the other day and an obviously gay waiter had tried hitting on him, Ianto had clammed up, became rigid and politely but formally declined any invitation the man had offered. So any flirting was acceptable from him alone. Which Jack wasn't sure was a good or a bad thing.
Perhaps it just meant that Jack was someone he considered safe and wouldn't take it any further than flirting?
And then there was the issue of Lisa.
Before Lisa, Jack was sure that Ianto was returning his flirtations, his affections. The signals were all there. But then they discovered his betrayal, and they had to kill the cyberwoman Ianto had hidden in the basemen in a somewhat misguided attempt to save what was his girlfriend. Jack couldn't describe how it felt to find out Ianto had brought that thing into his home, the betrayal he felt, but at the same time, it hurt Jack to know that he was the one to kill all that he had left of his girlfriend, who Ianto obviously loved very much.
When Lisa had knocked Ianto out, Jack revived him with a kiss. It was easier to make Ianto believe that it was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation than try to explain what happened. Especially since Jack didn't know himself. He saw Ianto on the ground, and instead of mouth-to-mouth, he just kissed him, and suddenly Ianto is coughing back to life, pushing him out of the way and chasing after Lisa, leaving a confused Jack in his wake.
That was before the cannibals. Jack rested a finger against his lips. The cannibals had been an ordeal for Ianto and Tosh, but he was sure that Ianto was the one who had lost the last of his innocence that trip. Jack remembered taking him home that night, sitting with him as he slept, tossing and turning, screaming with nightmares, screaming with pain.
If Ianto hadn't been so injured, he probably would have made a move on him that night. But he didn't.
And now, he didn't know if there was actually an attraction between him and Ianto, or if it had just been a distraction to keep him from noticing the cyberwoman in the basement.
“Jack.” Jack visibly jumped and turned to look at the doorway to his office. Ianto stood there. “I've shut everything down for the evening. Will there be anything else, sir?”
Jack opened his mouth to ask him to stay, to … but he shut his mouth again and shook his head.
“Very good, sir. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, sir.”
“Night, Ianto,” Jack said softly and watched as the man hesitated, offered a tight smile before he turned and left the office, heading out the Tourist Office tunnel.
Jack sighed deeply. Dammit. He turned and sat down at his desk, and watched on the CCTV as Ianto made his way to his car. As Ianto's car disappeared out of screen, Jack pressed the buttons on his keyboard to watch the vehicle as it made it's way to the apartment building Ianto resided in. When he saw that Ianto was safely inside the building, he switched off the monitor and got up.
He wandered around the Hub and looked for something to do to keep occupied.
There was nothing.
He looked at Ianto's computer station, and noticed sitting under the monitor in a glass of water was the rose he'd given Ianto yesterday on their way back to the office when they'd gone through a rose garden in the University grounds.
Jack had spotted the roses as they were walking back to the car and told Ianto he'd meet him there. He found a beautiful blood red rose, just starting to open, and grinned. Looking around, he picked it and carried it back to the car.
“Find what you were looking for, sir?” Ianto asked when Jack came back.
Jack smiled at Ianto, and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah I have,” he said, and offered Ianto the rose. “Beautiful this time of year aren't they,” he said softly.
Ianto took it and twirled the stem in his fingers. “Yes. Yes they are.” Ianto looked up at Jack with a small smile on his face. “We should go. You have that phone call with the Prime Minister at 2.30pm.”
“Ugh. Don't remind me,” Jack groaned, opening his door and getting inside.
“I have to, sir. It's my job.”
Jack decided then and there what he was going to do. He headed up to his office and grabbed his greatcoat, then headed for the SUV. On his way to the car, he flicked the rift monitor to remote monitoring on his wrist strap. He drove to Ianto's apartment building and easily found a park outside. He took the stairs two at a time.
When he reached Ianto's door, he took a deep breath before he knocked. There was a few minutes wait and some knocking over of furniture inside before the door opened and revealed a bleary looking Ianto, his tie half undone, his shirt pulled out of his pants and sleeves rolled up, and his feet bare.
“Ja-Sir. Jack. Sir. What are you doing here?” Ianto asked, blinking rapidly, running a hand through his now unruly black hair. The only light in the apartment was the flickering light from the television in the lounge room.
“Can I come in?” Jack asked, amused by Ianto's appearance.
“Uh.” Ianto looked behind him. “Uh, yep. Uh. Just... give me, give me one sec, okay?”
Jack nodded and Ianto shut the door in Jack's face. There was some more rummaging sounds and some clanking sounds - actually a lot of clanking sounds - before the door opened again and Ianto draped himself on his door, nearly falling off as it moved.
“Uh, hi.”
Jack moved inside. He turned around and looked at Ianto, as the younger man shut the door. He watched as he shut the door and then moved into the lounge room. There was something... off about him.
“Are you drunk?” Jack asked, following him into the lounge.
Ianto leaned over to turn on a lamp and would have fallen over if Jack hadn't grabbed his hips and pulled him back. Ianto stood up, his back flush against Jack's chest.
“Uh. Thank-thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Jack said into his ear.
“So. Ah, was there a reason you came over?” Ianto asked, not moving from Jack's embrace.
“I, um, you kept the rose,” Jack said softly, his lips brushing against Ianto's ear.
Ianto turned his head to look back at Jack. “You gave it to me,” he said simply.
Jack stared into his eyes, and his heart clenched. He ached with want. “Please tell me I'm not reading this wrong,” he whispered, and with one hand, cupped Ianto's cheek, pulling his face closer and kissed him. Ianto whimpered and pulled back.
“You're not,” he mumbled, licking his lips nervously.
“Not what?” Jack asked, his mouth hovering over Ianto's.
“Reading this wrong,” Ianto replied, and turned in Jack's arms as Jack kissed him again, his arms sliding around Ianto to bring him closer, holding him against his chest. Ianto opened his mouth and tentatively touched his tongue against Jack's.
Jack groaned. Ianto's languid and hesitant exploration of his mouth was sensual and exciting. Jack returned the exploration, tasting and teasing Ianto until the younger man's hips started to thrust against Jack's.
Jack ended the kiss. “Hey, hey, shhh, easy,” Jack soothed, stroking a hand down his back to calm Ianto. The younger man looked up at Jack with big, glassy eyes. “I wasn't sure if you wanted this.”
Ianto nodded. “I did... I do... I just... I haven't... before... you know, not, not with a-a bloke.”
Jack chuckled. “Not that much different to a woman, except the obvious, of course.”
Ianto closed his eyes. “That part is very different, sir.”
Jack twisted his fingers into Ianto's hair. “When we're like this? Call me 'Jack'. Leave 'sir' for the office.”
Ianto nodded, and rested his forehead on Jack's shoulder. “I think I'm going to pass out.”
“How many drinks have you had?” Jack asked, pressing a kiss to Ianto's cheek.
“I... I dunno, four, five? I kind of just, slammed them down I guess.”
Jack pulled Ianto's head back to look at him. “Tell me why.”
Ianto shrugged. “I...I'd promised myself that today I was going to...” he sighed.
“Going to what?” Jack prompted.
Ianto blushed. “I was going to ask you out,” he looked away. “I got cold feet. I couldn't do it, so I came home and … heh, got drunk instead!”
Jack smiled. “Oh Ianto,” he pressed a kiss to Ianto's lips. “I would have said yes, you know.”
Ianto looked up. “Good to know.”
“Ask me tomorrow,” Jack told him, and pulled Ianto with him as he headed for the door.
“Okay,” Ianto agreed.
“Promise?” Jack asked, turning and pressing a kiss to Ianto's lips.
Ianto grinned. “Promise.”
Jack nodded. “Okay. Go get some sleep,” Jack said. “That's an order.”
“Yes, sir... Jack.” Ianto chuckled. Jack smiled and stepped out of his flat. Ianto called out his name, and reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back against his chest, kissing him deeply. “Sleep well, Jack.”
“Night Ianto.”
When Jack got to his car, he looked up at Ianto's flat to see him standing at the window, watching. They each waved at the other.
Jack drove back to the Hub with a smile.
Sequel: Hangovers