Fic: Magicial Mystery Tour (Torchwood Jack/Ianto NC17)
Title: Magical Mystery Tour
Author: magikalrhiannon
Betas: kajmere and trueblue55 - thank you the loves of my life!
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: none
Summary: On a night out on the town, the Torchwood crew see a little more of Ianto's personality than they were bargaining for... or did they?
Word Count: 6429
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, my fic is written for kajmere, cuz she owns me.
Prompt was supplied by the lovely wedabble, who wanted to see Ianto high. I have a feeling this … completely fails your original idea, but I hope it meets with the spin we put on it, very... Torchwood spin anyway. But anyway. Here we go...
“Uptight bloody self-righteous prat always telling everyone how to do their bloody job,” Owen muttered as he ripped off his latex gloves from each of his hands and threw them onto the metal surgical table and pushed it out of the way. “Clean up autopsy, write this report, file it this way, do this, do that, who the bloody hell does he think he is anyway, he's just the bloody tea-boy isn't he? Can't even go out and get a proper shag, had to settle for being the bit in the side while the boss man pines for the office slut, hey?”
Staring around the room, he went to one of the cupboards, opened the door and pulled out a container, turned the lid and pulled out a pill.
“This'll do the trick!” he said, slipping it into a small plastic bag and into his jeans pocket. Shoving the box back into the cupboard, Owen slammed the door shut, then wrestled out of his white coat and threw it across the room in a huff before storming upstairs.
“We going out to the pub tonight?” Gwen asked, looking at Tosh from her computer station.
“I'm up for it,” Owen announced from the top of the autopsy bay.
“Oh, I don't know,” Tosh bit her lip and looked back at her computer monitor. She was running yet another diagnostic program.
“Oh come on, Tosh. It'll be there when you get back, yeah?” Owen wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Tosh blushed and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”
“There's a girl!” he squeezed her shoulders before letting her go, not noticing her eyes following him, or her looking away embarrassed when Gwen smiled encouragingly at her.
“You c'ming Ianto?” Gwen asked, as Ianto came up from the archives and Jack came out of his office.
“Coming where?” Jack asked, walking over.
“To the pub,” Gwen grinned flirtatiously, sauntering over to Jack. “You'll be there, won't you Jack?”
Jack smiled, and looked over at Ianto. “Might be fun. Ianto? What do you say?”
Ianto shrugged. “I don't have any other plans, did you?”
Jack slid his hands into his pockets. “Not that I'm aware of, though I could be persuaded,” he leered.
"From what I've heard, there's not much he wouldn't be persuaded from," Gwen quipped, grinning.
"Nothing ever took much persuading," Ianto muttered, looking put out about his previous sexlife being talked about.
"I don't recall you ever complaining last time I -" Jack started only to be interrupted by Owen's outburst.
“Oh, leave it out!” Owen complained bitterly, grabbing his leather jacket and throwing it on. “Is there nothing sacred?” Owen asked as he looked at the ceiling.
“Not when Jack's involved, no,” Tosh said, knocking her shoulders with Owen's. “C'mon. I hear alcohol is as good as mind bleach.”
The group ambled out of the Hub through the Tourist Office tunnel exit, as Tosh has switched the monitoring software to send any alerts to their mobile phones or Jack's wrist strap if anything occurred.
~*~
Jack sipped his usual glass of water as the others sat around with their varied choices of alcohol. Ianto stuck with beer, Tosh and Gwen were on drinking fruity cocktails and Owen was downing bourbon like it was liquid candy.
"So..." Jack said as he dragged a finger along Ianto's arm, capturing the younger man's attention mid gulp of his larger.
"So...?" Ianto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You have a good day today?" Jack asked, leaning his head on his hand and watching Ianto's face.
"Which part of my day did you miss, Jack?"
Jack sighed. "Yeah. I guess small talk is kind of redundant."
"Jack!" Gwen came over and pulled on his arm. "Dance with me!"
Jack laughed and looked at Ianto who grimaced and looked away, sipping his beer. Jack looked back at Gwen and felt torn. She tugged again and he gave in, following her to the dancing area, feeling a little silly. He looked over at Ianto, and saw him look away when he was caught watching.
Interesting.
~*~
Ianto looked around the bar to avoid watching Jack make an arse of himself with Gwen on the dance floor. If he was honest with himself, he was jealous. There. He admired it, at least internally anyway. They'd gone on one date since Jack's return from God knew where with that bollocking Doctor of his, and since then... Nothing.
Oh there'd been looks, and half attempts at arranging another date but they'd been blown to hell by rift activity or Gwen's epic romance with Rhys and her pathological need to remind everyone that she had it better than everyone else, yet now that Jack was back she wasn't content with Shrek, no she wanted Prince bloody Farquardt too. Ianto snorted to his own internal thought pattern and Rhys with green face paint. Did that make Gwen Princess Fiona? He sat up straighter when he wondered if he was Felonius. Well that wasn't attractive. He slumped in his chair again.
He'd yet to give in to Jack's flirtations since his return from his escapades with the Doctor, though their date had been lovely. Jack still flirted with everyone in a 5 foot radius and Ianto was reluctant to go back into something when he wasn't sure Jack was going to stick around. With the shenanigans happening on the dance floor between Jack and Gwen, Ianto felt justified in his reluctance to open up again.
"Thinking about Jack?" Tosh asked, sliding over to nudge Ianto.
"Always," he muttered with a sarcastic laugh. "Owen?"
Tosh sighed. "Too much."
Ianto put his hand on her slender wrist in comfort. "We're a right pair, aren't we?" he asked, nodding over to where the objects of their affections had gravitated to.
Tosh looked over and then looked at Ianto. "Sod it. Let's show them what they're missing!"
Ianto frowned. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Dance with me!"
Ianto laughed, "Oh no, Tosh. I don't dance. I don't dance, I don't sing and I'm not a performing monkey, much to Owen's disappointment." He nudged her shoulder. "Sorry. Jack will dance with you though." He looked over at where Jack and Gwen were entwined around each other. "If you can remove the barnacle that's attached itself."
Tosh looked over and looked back. "Oh." She leaned her head down on Ianto's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said softly. "I already knew." Ianto picked up his drink and drained it.
It was about 15 minutes later that Ianto noticed something was off with his vision. Everything was brighter, but fuzzier. He slumped in his seat again until he felt the room stop spinning.
“Ianto?”
“Mmm?” he asked, opening his eyes and looking around to locate the voice that was talking. Oh, there it was. The source was beside him. “Tosh! Hello!”
“Hi. You okay?”
“Fantastic.” He nodded for emphasis. He looked around, and suddenly felt amazed by all the bright lights in the room. “It really is pretty in here isn't it?”
Tosh frowned. “I-I guess.”
“Like a kaleidoscope, really,” he mused.
“Are you sure you're okay?” Tosh asked, her hand on Ianto's back.
“Yep!” he nodded again.
“Tosh!” Owen came over and grabbed her hand. “Dance with me!” he said drunkenly, pulling on her hand. Tosh lit up, but then looked back at Ianto, anguish on her face. She wasn't sure that Ianto was really okay. He seemed... off. “C'mon Tosh! Leave the Tea-boy be! He can take care o' himself!”
Ianto nodded again, and waved as Tosh was dragged off onto the dance floor. Ianto giggled as he watched Tosh try to handle Owen's octopus arms. She looked happy, and Ianto smiled for the first time in a long time. He looked around the room and then gasped when his eyes landed on it.
Oh. Yes. he thought. He slid off his stool and wandered like a moth to a flame over to what had taken his attention.
~*~
When Jack looked over at the bar, he first got concerned when Ianto wasn't there. He looked around, and saw that Owen and Tosh were on the dance floor. He looked down at Gwen, who had wrapped herself around him - and when did that happen? - and asked her if she'd seen Ianto. She just shook her head.
Jack pulled out of Gwen's arms and moved off the dance floor and started looking around. There was just something... wrong. He could feel it.
“Welcome everyone to Friday Night Karaoke!” some guy up on a small stage in another part of the bar said into a microphone to a small crowd. “First up tonight we have a new comer. Let's give it up for Ianto!”
What. The. Hell? Jack thought, and briskly walked into the area the karaoke was being held.
The soft and sensual music started to play as Ianto stepped up onto the stage and took the microphone. Jack stared at him, unable to take his eyes off the man before him. His heart started to race. Ianto could sing? How did he not know this?
You've got your ball
you've got your chain
tied to me tight tie me up again
who's got their claws
in you my friend
Into your heart I'll beat again
Sweet like candy to my soul
Sweet you rock
and sweet you roll
Lost for you I'm so lost for you
You come crash into me
And I come into you
I come into you
In a boys dream
In a boys dream
Touch your lips just so I know
In your eyes, love, it glows so
I'm bare boned and crazy for you
When you come crash
into me, baby
And I come into you
In a boys dream
In a boys dream
If I've gone overboard
Then I'm begging you
to forgive me
in my haste
When I'm holding you so girl
close to me
Jack swallowed hard. Ianto was so sexy and sensual swaying to the music, the crowd was cheering him on and he was so lost in what he was doing that he probably didn't even know where he was. Jack wanted to kill everyone in the room for looking at him. He knew they all wanted him, but he was his dammit! Even if they hadn't gotten it back together yet. They were working on it. So the rift hadn't been a friend lately. That didn't mean they gave up!
“Oh my god!” Jack turned and saw Owen, Tosh and Gwen beside him. “Something's wrong!” Tosh exclaimed.
“What?! No!” Jack shook his head. “He's unbelievable!”
“He's normal,” Owen chimed in, raising a glass.
“I didn't know he could sing,” Gwen laughed, her hand on Jack's arm.
“No, you don't understand! Ianto told me earlier tonight, he doesn't dance and he doesn't sing! Ever! There's something wrong with him!” Tosh explained, clearly upset, and looking pleadingly at Jack.
Jack straightened up. This changes things, he thought. Besides, I'd rather he sang to me in private. Jack paused, contemplating his inner jealous streak. Ianto's voice brought him out of his reverie.
Oh and you come crash
into me, baby
And I come into you
Hike up your skirt a little more
and show the world to me
Hike up your skirt a little more
and show your world to me
In a boys dream.. In a boys dream
Oh I watch you there
through the window
And I stare at you
You wear nothing but you
wear it so well
tied up and twisted
the way I'd like to be
For you, for me, come crash
into me
“Perhaps we should wait until the end of his set?” Suggested Owen, and the others agreed.
Who got you off when you got yours?
Who was the first to spill your soul?
Who got you off? Well, I'm the one
Dreamed of doing it day and night
Oh sweet like candy to my soul
Sweet you rock and sweet you roll
Oh I swear over and over
It's you like a wave into me
When you come crash into me baby
Please come crash into me
Come crash into me
In a boy's dream
In a boy's dream
No miss you all? What runs your way?
Who runs up side you and begs everyday?
Who's watching you through your window?
Night Comes
Who celebrates with the moon?
That you're like a wave come again
Come and crash into me baby
And I come into you
In a boy's dream
In a boy's dream
Oh now it's here I build my soul
I swear, friend, don't you know
I'm bare boned and crazy for you
Oh when you come crash into me yeah
And you come into me
And you come into me
Hike up your skirt a little more
And show the world to me
Hike up your skirt a little more
And show the world to me
In a boy's dream yeah
In this boy's dream
I'll be your Dixie chicken
You be my Tennessee lamb
And we will walk together
Down in Dixie land
Crash into me
Crash into me
Crash into me
Crash into me
Oh I wanna play with you
As Ianto handed back the microphone to thunderous applause and cheering, the Torchwood crew rushed forward.
“Hey! Jack! Tosh! Gwen, Owen,” Ianto grinned as he stepped off the stage. “Did you see me up there?” he asked nodding his head. “It was really fun!”
“Oh we saw you, alright, mate,” Owen chuckled, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.
“You were quite good up there, Ianto!” Gwen praised. “I didn't know you could sing!”
Ianto shrugged, and looked at Jack. “I'm thirsty!”
“Well then,” Jack said, “Let's get you a drink, superstar.” Jack put his arm around Ianto's shoulders to keep him right beside him where he belonged, and led him back to the bar.
~*~
Jack had never heard Ianto talk so much in the two years he'd known him. He couldn't get him to shut up. Tosh was right, there was something seriously wrong with him. Anything that came to his mind, just came out of his mouth. So far, he'd called Gwen a barnacle, Owen a tosser, Tosh his best friend - which admittedly made her smile - and told Jack in no uncertain terms that until such times as he could trust Jack again, they wouldn't be having any sort of sex in the near future.
Which, while depressing, Jack had already figured out on his own, thank you very much Captain Obvious.
“O-kay, maybe it's time to take you home, Ianto?” Jack suggested, after the fifth lady had hit on him and he'd not so politely told her that while he was normally completely straight, he was in fact, falling for a man, and however flattered he was, he was emotionally unavailable, had a job with the worst hours in the world and was far too complex for any woman to want to date. And he didn't do one night stands, thank you very much.
“Fine. I'm going to the bathroom first,” he said, standing up and nearly falling down as he got to his feet. Jack caught him. “Thanks. Wow. Your eyes are really blue. Like cerulean blue. Beautiful.”
Jack smiled. “Thank you.”
Ianto shrugged. “Just stating fact. Right! Draining the dragon!” Ianto pulled out of his arms and disappeared.
But Ianto didn't come back. Jack asked Tosh, Gwen and Owen if they had seen him. No one had. They searched the bar, and found him... at the Karaoke section again, microphone in hand...
I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didn't know how lost I was
Until I found you
I was beat incomplete
I'd been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new
“I thought Teaboy was 'straight'?” Owen asked, frowning as he witnessed Ianto on stage practically making love to the microphone stand, free hand roaming over his body just like Madonna her film clips.
“He was,” Tosh agreed. “Until Jack.”
“Hey, nobody makes anyone else something they're not,” Jack retorted. “You people and your labels, honestly.”
“There is not enough alcohol in the world to get rid of this image,” Owen moaned, as Ianto reached the chorus.
“I dunno, I kinda like it!” Jack grinned and made his way closer.
Like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats [after first time, "With your heartbeat"]
Next to mine
Ianto saw Jack and grinned, as he moved to the front. He started singing to Jack, his hand movements still roaming over his body, but every now and then extending a hand out to Jack.
Gonna give you all my love, boy
My fear is fading fast
Been saving it all for you
'Cause only love can last
You're so fine and you're mine
Make me strong, yeah you make me bold
Oh your love thawed out
Yeah, your love thawed out
What was scared and cold
oooh oooh oooh
Like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats [after first time, "With your heartbeat"]
Next to mine
Like a virgin, ooh, ooh
Like a virgin
Feels so good inside
When you hold me, and your heart beats, and you love me
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ooh, baby
Can't you hear my heart beat
For the very first time?
As Ianto left the microphone stand on the stage, he threw himself at Jack, who caught him, and the crowd cheered and screamed.
“I thought you were going to the bathroom?” Jack asked, holding Ianto in his arms.
“I did, just a detour on the way home,” Ianto chuckled, his arms around Jack's neck.
Jack kissed him, unable to stop himself. “You're amazing up there.” He planted a kiss on Ianto's forehead. “Time to get you home before your fans want a piece of you.”
Jack set him down on the ground and with a hand on his back guided him out of the bar. He told the others through the comm that he was taking Ianto home and to go home. Ianto was still talking at a million miles an hour on the way back to his flat.
“So how come you never told us you could sing?” Jack had asked him.
“Do you tell us all your secrets?” Ianto asked him and looked over at Jack for a moment before he rolled his head back to look out the window again. “I don't tell anyone at work my secrets. Why should I? They don't know me, they don't like me. They don't respect me. Only Tosh takes the time to talk to me, and really, that's because I take the time to talk to her. Owen's too busy being mad at the world to stop and think about anyone other than himself and Gwen's so self-righteous and holier than thou, she wouldn't even bother. So why should I share my secrets with a bunch of people who don't think much more of me than I'm good for cleaning up after them, making them coffee, doing the work they don't want to do and shagging the boss when he wants to scratch an itch?”
Jack stilled and glanced over at Ianto when he pulled the car to a stop at a red light. “I thought you were all getting along better since I … went away?”
“Oh, you mean because we were a man down so they were forced to take me into the field because Gwen was sure you'd come back and she didn't want to hire anyone to take your place?” Ianto snorted and looked out the window. “Trust me, Jack. I know what they think of me.” He sighed. “I know what everyone thinks of me.”
“No, you don't.”
Ianto closed his eyes. “The world is spinning around us. One person such as me is insignificant in the big scheme of things. If they want to think of me as beneath them, then fine. I don't care, quite frankly.”
“Yes, you do.”
Ianto sighed. “Yeah, I do,” he agreed softly.
Jack pulled up outside Ianto's apartment complex. When Ianto tried to get out of the car however, he couldn't stand up. Jack caught him before he hit the pavement.
“What the hell?” Jack asked frantically and Ianto's eyes widened.
“Jack? Jack, I can't feel my legs!” he panicked.
Jack quickly helped him back onto the front seat of the car as gently as possible, then pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial 3. “Owen? There's something wrong with Ianto! He can't feel his legs! Get back to the Hub, I'm bringing him in! Call Tosh and Gwen and get them on it!” He looked back at Ianto who was starting to turn green. “Sit tight, Yan. We'll figure this out, okay?”
Ianto nodded, and Jack leaned in quickly to kiss his forehead before he ran around the SUV and jumped in, and sped off back to the Hub.
“Jack?” Ianto asked, holding on as tight as he could to the handle on the ceiling of the vehicle. “Jack why can't I feel my legs?”
Jack could tell he was scared by the tremble in his voice. “I don't know Ianto, but we're going to find out, okay?” he reassured him. “Can you tell me what you remember? Does it hurt at all? Any pins and needles?”
Ianto shook his head. “Nothing, I don't feel anything.” He started to poke at his legs with one fist. “I can't move my toes, I can't feel my toes, I can't move my ankles, do I have ankles? I still have my ankles right? I can see my feet. I hope they're still attached. What if they're not attached Jack?” Ianto looked at Jack with a horrified look on his face. “What if you get me out of the car and my feet fall off?”
“That won't happen, Ianto!” Jack's eyes widened so large, Jack thought his eyes might pop out of his own head. What the fuck? “Ianto, have you eaten anything unusual tonight?”
“No!” Ianto shook his head frantically. “No I haven't eaten since lunch. Noooooo.”
“Okay,” Jack tried to think while he was weaving in and out of traffic. Finally he slammed the SUV into park at the top of the Plass by the perception filter lift. “Right, let's get you inside.” He got out of the SUV and came around to Ianto's side of the car. “I'm going to carry you in, okay?”
Ianto nodded, and undid his seatbelt. With some manoeuvring, Jack picked Ianto up, one arm under his legs, the other around his back. Ianto held on around his neck and shoulders to try and take as much weight off Jack as possible. Jack laughed as he kicked the door of the SUV shut and carried him over to the lift.
“Guess I get to carry you over my threshold huh?” Jack joked, stepping on board.
“I don't get a proposal first?” Ianto pouted, sighing deeply.
“Would you say yes?” Jack asked, looking into his eyes. “If I asked?”
“Only if you meant it, which you wouldn't, because you don't love me,” Ianto muttered, hiding his face in Jack's neck. Jack frowned, and wondered what Ianto meant by that. “Why can't I feel my legs, Jack?” he whimpered.
“I don't know, but we're going to find out,” Jack said softly, kissing his hair. “I promise.” He stepped off the lift and carried him into the medical bay, placing him down on the autopsy table. Jack pulled out his phone. “Owen,” he said into it when the doctor answered his phone. “Where is everyone?!”
“Right behind you,” the grumpy doctor said, snapping his phone shut and racing in. “Tosh is on her computer, ready and waiting and Gwen's still on her way. Traffic, apparently. What's this about he can't feel his legs?”
Jack went through what happened, and Owen examined him as Jack explained.
“So he can't feel his legs now? For no apparent reason?” Owen clarified.
“Exactly,” Jack yelled, as they both looked at Ianto who was once again poking at his legs and frowning when they wouldn't move and he couldn't feel them.
“They don't work, Jack,” Ianto whimpered, and Jack moved over to hold his hand. “Why won't they work? They were working half an hour ago!?”
“I know, Yan, I know.”
Owen started running a barrage of tests, all of which could be run while Ianto just laid on the table, thanks to the alien technology they had. While they were running, Owen ran a toxicology test. An alarm sounded.
“What's that mean?” Jack asked urgently. “Owen, what does that mean?”
“We have a hit,” Owen said, looking at the results. “He's been drugged.” Owen printed off the results and showed it to Jack.
“This is a party drug from the Krolekai realm! What the hell is that doing in Ianto's system?” Jack asked, freaking out. “This could kill him!”
“Jack?!” Ianto started to panic.
“What?” Owen asked, ripping the result page back from Jack who rushed back to Ianto's side, and gripped his hand, and started to try to calm the panicking man. “What do you mean it could kill him?”
“Ianto's had alcohol,” Jack explained. “Krolekai Laxeti, the party drug, mixed with alcohol from here is toxic. It gives a massive high initially but then causes paralysis of all extremities and organs. Fucking hell! We need to get this out of his system, now!”
“Well is there a cure?” Ianto asked frantically.
“I don't know.” Jack looked down at Ianto, who was looking up at him, tears starting to slide down his face. “Hey, hey you're going to be okay. I promise. We will work this out. You are not going to die on me, okay? Because I want you to sing to me again.”
Ianto shook his head. “Fat bloody chance of that happening!” he complained. “I can't feel my stomach now.”
“Owen, look up Krolekai Laxeti poisoning,” Jack ordered, clicked on the comm button on the unit that was attached to his ear. “Tosh! Ianto's been poisoned. I need you to look up Krolekai Laxeti that's k-r-o-l-e-k-a-i l-a-x-e-t-i. We need to know how to get it out of someone's system once it's mixed with alcohol,” he paused. “It's toxic and it's fatal. So be fast!” He listened to Tosh. “Get back to me as soon as you do.” He hung up the phone and dialled Gwen. “Where are you Gwen? … I don't care about traffic, a member of our team is dying, get your ass in here now!” he said and hung up.
“What's Gwen going to do?” Ianto asked when Jack hung up.
“I don't know, maybe get in here and search the archives.”
“She better not fuck them up,” Ianto grumbled. “It took me two years to get them as organised as they are now.”
Jack leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. “She won't. It'll be okay.”
“You know, I hate it when you lie to me, Jack Harkness,” Ianto mumbled when Jack rested his forehead against Ianto's and closed his eyes.
“I know. I'm sorry.” Jack said softly. He pulled back to look at Ianto, and brushed the hair off his forehead.
“Shouldn't you be looking for a cure?” Ianto asked, and Jack shook his head.
“They'll find it. I'm needed here,” Jack said, squeezing Ianto's hand. “You know, you were so hot up on stage tonight.”
“Really?” Ianto scoffed.
“Really,” Jack grinned. “So hot. Especially that first song you sang. I thought I was going to come in my pants. So hot and sexy.”
Ianto sighed. “I sang it for you.”
“You did, huh?” Ianto nodded. “I'm glad. You know, when this is all over, and we have you back in one piece again, what's say you and me have that second date we've been planning to have but never get to?”
“Are you sure?” Ianto looked up at Jack.
“Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. I really want to, Ianto. I miss you. I miss being with you, I miss us. I know you don't trust me not to disappear, and I get that, but I really hope that you can give me that chance to show you that I'm not going anywhere, not without you.”
Ianto pulled Jack down to kiss him, his lips sucking on Jack's bottom lip. Jack eagerly deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking out Ianto's to tangle together. Jack's hands sought to support Ianto as he pulled him closer to him, and Ianto whimpered as he tried to get his body to move closer but couldn't get it to move.
The kiss ended when Owen came running in.
“I've got it!” he yelled, and ran to the medicine cabinet, and was rummaging through it, until he found what he was after. “I just need to give him a shot of this, it works like a-a an anti-venom I guess,” he said, getting a hypodermic needle and a vial of liquid and filling the hypodermic needle with the liquid and jamming it in Ianto's hip.
“Hey!” Ianto yelled out as the needle went in.
“Yeah, sorry, about that. It has to go in where the area is numb. Good thing you can't feel it, yeah?” Owen said, unapologetically. “It should wear off in about ten minutes.”
“You got that stopwatch?” Jack asked hopefully, and Ianto reached into the pocket of his waistcoat and pulled it out, clicking the button.
“Always at the ready.” Ianto gave Jack a small smile. “Say this works... how do we find out how this happened?” he asked.
“First we make sure this works,” Jack looked thunderous at Owen, who was biting his nails. “Then we investigate. If there's someone out there using this as a date-rape drug, then this is pretty dangerous. We're going to have to notify the police.”
Owen put up his hand with a sigh. “It was me.”
Ianto and Jack looked over at him. “What?” they said together.
“I did it,” Owen repeated. “I didn't know it was toxic when mixed with alcohol! My bad, I'm sorry! But we have the cure now, and he's going to be fine!”
“Owen, do you mean to tell me that you willingly put a member of your own team in serious jeopardy by drugging them with an alien party drug?” Jack asked incredulously, torn between wanting to shove the obviously scared doctor through the wall, and stay where he was holding the hand of the scared man on the table.
“Well, when you put it like that,” Owen shifted nervously.
“Why?” Ianto asked quietly from where he was lying on the table.
Owen sighed and looked at the floor. “Sounds pretty petty now, but I just wanted you to lighten up, mate. You're always so serious and uptight. Didn't think it would hurt you to unwind a little. You gotta admit, it was quite a change to see you having fun up on that karaoke stage, yeah? You're pretty good with a tune, aren'tcha. You're not so bad when you loosen up. I didn't know you can't mix it with anything. I thought it was harmless! There was nothing in database about it being fatal when mixed with alcohol. I wouldn't have given it to him otherwise! I swear it!”
Ianto looked away. He flexed his toes and looked at his feet. “I have feeling in my feet again,” he said quietly. Jack helped him to sit up, his hands roaming over Ianto's body just to make sure he was okay.
“You feel this?” Jack asked, running his hands up and down Ianto's thighs.
Ianto let out a sigh of relief and nodded. He could feel his legs.
“Oh thank god,” Jack hung his head and closed his eyes to hide the tears that welled there. Jack made Owen run all the tests again and only when they came back clear did Jack let Ianto try to move off the bed.
Ianto carefully moved his legs off the table to face the side and waited for Jack to move around. He slowly pushed off and tried to stand up. Jack watched, ready to catch him if he fell. He didn't. “I think I'll catch a taxi home.”
“No! I want you here, where I can see you. Please?” Jack asked, his hand on his shoulder. “Or at least let me drive you home. Please?”
Ianto nodded. “Okay. Drive me home, sir.”
Jack looked at Owen his eyes blazing with fury. “We're not done here. I will deal with you tomorrow. Tonight, clean this place up from top to toe, then go home. Be here at 9am.”
“Yes sir,” Owen said, hanging his head.
Jack put his hand on Ianto's lower back as he guided him out of the autopsy bay. “Oh and Owen, call Tosh and Gwen and tell them to stop looking for the cure.” The doctor nodded in response.
~*~
Ianto was silent on the second drive back to his flat for that night. Jack followed him up to his flat. Once inside, Ianto wasn't sure what to do, where they should be or what they should do.
“C'mon, let's get you into bed,” Jack suggested, and ushered him to Ianto's bedroom. He waited patiently as Ianto undressed and hung up his suit, tossed his dress shirt into the hamper and disappeared into the bathroom. When he came out, Jack had turned down the bed, taken off his coat, slid his braces down his shoulders to hang at his sides, kicked off his shoes and taken off his dress shirt. He was standing beside the bed. “In you get.”
Ianto did as he was told, and Jack tucked him in, before climbing over him to sit up on the other side, stretching his legs out. Ianto rolled over to look at Jack. Jack smiled and lifted an arm, which Ianto immediately snuggled under, resting his head on Jack's chest, his arm around his waist.
“What do you think I should do about Owen?” Jack asked, as his carded his fingers through Ianto's hair.
“What do you think you should do?” Ianto asked, sighing in contentment at Jack's ministrations.
“I should fire him, retcon his ass. What he did tonight was unacceptable! It was downright dangerous. You could have died!” Jack's voice cracked towards the end.
Ianto looked up at Jack, “But I didn't.” He sighed and rested his head back on Jack's chest. “He was right about me needing to relax more.”
“Ianto.”
He sighed. “It's fine. Honestly Jack. We can call it even now. I nearly got him killed with Lisa. He nearly killed me with the Krolekai Laxeti.”
“I can't afford to fire him, I guess,” Jack sighed. “He's got Hub duty for a month. And you're not to clean his autopsy bay for 6, is that clear? He can do it himself.”
“Crystal.” Ianto smiled. “I have a punishment of my own.”
Jack laughed. “I can imagine.” He pressed a kiss to Ianto's hair. “C'mon. Lay down and get some sleep. I'll stay if you want.”
“I want,” Ianto yawned, rolling back. Jack pressed some buttons on his wrist strap, checking the rift was still clear, which it was. Then he kicked off his pants, pulled off his shirt and got into bed next to Ianto, pulling him into his arms. “Thank you for looking after me tonight.”
“It was my pleasure,” Jack said, squeezing him tightly. “Just... next time you want to serenade me, do it in a room with less people, preferably just us, okay? Way too many people in that room wanted you for my liking tonight.”
Ianto snorted out a laugh. “Doubtful.”
“Trust me, Ianto, you were amazing. Now, go to sleep.”
“Yes, sir.”
~*~
The next morning, Owen arrived at work at the required time to find Jack and Ianto already waiting for him in the autopsy bay. Jack told Owen of his punishment, Hub duty instead of Field duty for a month, and he was to clean his own autopsy mess for 6 months, not to rely on Ianto to do it for him.
“Considering what you did, you're getting off lightly,” Jack warned him.
“I know. Thank you,” Owen nodded. “And Ianto, mate, I really am sorry.”
Ianto smiled. “Apology accepted. I know I can come across as a little... anal, at times, but really, this place wouldn't run the way it does if I didn't, and you know it.”
“Fair enough.”
Ianto excused himself for a moment and came back with two cups of coffee, handing Jack his in his usual blue and white striped mug, before walking down into the autopsy bay to give Owen his. Owen lifted his cup of coffee and Ianto turned back to head up the stairs.
Ianto said with a straight face, “Enjoy your coffee, Owen.”
“Is it laced?” Owen asked, looking up at his boss and the archivist. Owen thought twice about drinking the steaming cup of coffee, and placed it back down on the surgical tray.
“No, worse,” Ianto smirked. “Decaf.” Ianto turned on his heel and left, Jack grinning as he watched his soon-to-be lover leave.
“Guess I deserve that.” Owen sighed.
Author: magikalrhiannon
Betas: kajmere and trueblue55 - thank you the loves of my life!
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: none
Summary: On a night out on the town, the Torchwood crew see a little more of Ianto's personality than they were bargaining for... or did they?
Word Count: 6429
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, my fic is written for kajmere, cuz she owns me.
Prompt was supplied by the lovely wedabble, who wanted to see Ianto high. I have a feeling this … completely fails your original idea, but I hope it meets with the spin we put on it, very... Torchwood spin anyway. But anyway. Here we go...
“Uptight bloody self-righteous prat always telling everyone how to do their bloody job,” Owen muttered as he ripped off his latex gloves from each of his hands and threw them onto the metal surgical table and pushed it out of the way. “Clean up autopsy, write this report, file it this way, do this, do that, who the bloody hell does he think he is anyway, he's just the bloody tea-boy isn't he? Can't even go out and get a proper shag, had to settle for being the bit in the side while the boss man pines for the office slut, hey?”
Staring around the room, he went to one of the cupboards, opened the door and pulled out a container, turned the lid and pulled out a pill.
“This'll do the trick!” he said, slipping it into a small plastic bag and into his jeans pocket. Shoving the box back into the cupboard, Owen slammed the door shut, then wrestled out of his white coat and threw it across the room in a huff before storming upstairs.
“We going out to the pub tonight?” Gwen asked, looking at Tosh from her computer station.
“I'm up for it,” Owen announced from the top of the autopsy bay.
“Oh, I don't know,” Tosh bit her lip and looked back at her computer monitor. She was running yet another diagnostic program.
“Oh come on, Tosh. It'll be there when you get back, yeah?” Owen wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Tosh blushed and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”
“There's a girl!” he squeezed her shoulders before letting her go, not noticing her eyes following him, or her looking away embarrassed when Gwen smiled encouragingly at her.
“You c'ming Ianto?” Gwen asked, as Ianto came up from the archives and Jack came out of his office.
“Coming where?” Jack asked, walking over.
“To the pub,” Gwen grinned flirtatiously, sauntering over to Jack. “You'll be there, won't you Jack?”
Jack smiled, and looked over at Ianto. “Might be fun. Ianto? What do you say?”
Ianto shrugged. “I don't have any other plans, did you?”
Jack slid his hands into his pockets. “Not that I'm aware of, though I could be persuaded,” he leered.
"From what I've heard, there's not much he wouldn't be persuaded from," Gwen quipped, grinning.
"Nothing ever took much persuading," Ianto muttered, looking put out about his previous sexlife being talked about.
"I don't recall you ever complaining last time I -" Jack started only to be interrupted by Owen's outburst.
“Oh, leave it out!” Owen complained bitterly, grabbing his leather jacket and throwing it on. “Is there nothing sacred?” Owen asked as he looked at the ceiling.
“Not when Jack's involved, no,” Tosh said, knocking her shoulders with Owen's. “C'mon. I hear alcohol is as good as mind bleach.”
The group ambled out of the Hub through the Tourist Office tunnel exit, as Tosh has switched the monitoring software to send any alerts to their mobile phones or Jack's wrist strap if anything occurred.
~*~
Jack sipped his usual glass of water as the others sat around with their varied choices of alcohol. Ianto stuck with beer, Tosh and Gwen were on drinking fruity cocktails and Owen was downing bourbon like it was liquid candy.
"So..." Jack said as he dragged a finger along Ianto's arm, capturing the younger man's attention mid gulp of his larger.
"So...?" Ianto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You have a good day today?" Jack asked, leaning his head on his hand and watching Ianto's face.
"Which part of my day did you miss, Jack?"
Jack sighed. "Yeah. I guess small talk is kind of redundant."
"Jack!" Gwen came over and pulled on his arm. "Dance with me!"
Jack laughed and looked at Ianto who grimaced and looked away, sipping his beer. Jack looked back at Gwen and felt torn. She tugged again and he gave in, following her to the dancing area, feeling a little silly. He looked over at Ianto, and saw him look away when he was caught watching.
Interesting.
~*~
Ianto looked around the bar to avoid watching Jack make an arse of himself with Gwen on the dance floor. If he was honest with himself, he was jealous. There. He admired it, at least internally anyway. They'd gone on one date since Jack's return from God knew where with that bollocking Doctor of his, and since then... Nothing.
Oh there'd been looks, and half attempts at arranging another date but they'd been blown to hell by rift activity or Gwen's epic romance with Rhys and her pathological need to remind everyone that she had it better than everyone else, yet now that Jack was back she wasn't content with Shrek, no she wanted Prince bloody Farquardt too. Ianto snorted to his own internal thought pattern and Rhys with green face paint. Did that make Gwen Princess Fiona? He sat up straighter when he wondered if he was Felonius. Well that wasn't attractive. He slumped in his chair again.
He'd yet to give in to Jack's flirtations since his return from his escapades with the Doctor, though their date had been lovely. Jack still flirted with everyone in a 5 foot radius and Ianto was reluctant to go back into something when he wasn't sure Jack was going to stick around. With the shenanigans happening on the dance floor between Jack and Gwen, Ianto felt justified in his reluctance to open up again.
"Thinking about Jack?" Tosh asked, sliding over to nudge Ianto.
"Always," he muttered with a sarcastic laugh. "Owen?"
Tosh sighed. "Too much."
Ianto put his hand on her slender wrist in comfort. "We're a right pair, aren't we?" he asked, nodding over to where the objects of their affections had gravitated to.
Tosh looked over and then looked at Ianto. "Sod it. Let's show them what they're missing!"
Ianto frowned. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Dance with me!"
Ianto laughed, "Oh no, Tosh. I don't dance. I don't dance, I don't sing and I'm not a performing monkey, much to Owen's disappointment." He nudged her shoulder. "Sorry. Jack will dance with you though." He looked over at where Jack and Gwen were entwined around each other. "If you can remove the barnacle that's attached itself."
Tosh looked over and looked back. "Oh." She leaned her head down on Ianto's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said softly. "I already knew." Ianto picked up his drink and drained it.
It was about 15 minutes later that Ianto noticed something was off with his vision. Everything was brighter, but fuzzier. He slumped in his seat again until he felt the room stop spinning.
“Ianto?”
“Mmm?” he asked, opening his eyes and looking around to locate the voice that was talking. Oh, there it was. The source was beside him. “Tosh! Hello!”
“Hi. You okay?”
“Fantastic.” He nodded for emphasis. He looked around, and suddenly felt amazed by all the bright lights in the room. “It really is pretty in here isn't it?”
Tosh frowned. “I-I guess.”
“Like a kaleidoscope, really,” he mused.
“Are you sure you're okay?” Tosh asked, her hand on Ianto's back.
“Yep!” he nodded again.
“Tosh!” Owen came over and grabbed her hand. “Dance with me!” he said drunkenly, pulling on her hand. Tosh lit up, but then looked back at Ianto, anguish on her face. She wasn't sure that Ianto was really okay. He seemed... off. “C'mon Tosh! Leave the Tea-boy be! He can take care o' himself!”
Ianto nodded again, and waved as Tosh was dragged off onto the dance floor. Ianto giggled as he watched Tosh try to handle Owen's octopus arms. She looked happy, and Ianto smiled for the first time in a long time. He looked around the room and then gasped when his eyes landed on it.
Oh. Yes. he thought. He slid off his stool and wandered like a moth to a flame over to what had taken his attention.
~*~
When Jack looked over at the bar, he first got concerned when Ianto wasn't there. He looked around, and saw that Owen and Tosh were on the dance floor. He looked down at Gwen, who had wrapped herself around him - and when did that happen? - and asked her if she'd seen Ianto. She just shook her head.
Jack pulled out of Gwen's arms and moved off the dance floor and started looking around. There was just something... wrong. He could feel it.
“Welcome everyone to Friday Night Karaoke!” some guy up on a small stage in another part of the bar said into a microphone to a small crowd. “First up tonight we have a new comer. Let's give it up for Ianto!”
What. The. Hell? Jack thought, and briskly walked into the area the karaoke was being held.
The soft and sensual music started to play as Ianto stepped up onto the stage and took the microphone. Jack stared at him, unable to take his eyes off the man before him. His heart started to race. Ianto could sing? How did he not know this?
You've got your ball
you've got your chain
tied to me tight tie me up again
who's got their claws
in you my friend
Into your heart I'll beat again
Sweet like candy to my soul
Sweet you rock
and sweet you roll
Lost for you I'm so lost for you
You come crash into me
And I come into you
I come into you
In a boys dream
In a boys dream
Touch your lips just so I know
In your eyes, love, it glows so
I'm bare boned and crazy for you
When you come crash
into me, baby
And I come into you
In a boys dream
In a boys dream
If I've gone overboard
Then I'm begging you
to forgive me
in my haste
When I'm holding you so girl
close to me
Jack swallowed hard. Ianto was so sexy and sensual swaying to the music, the crowd was cheering him on and he was so lost in what he was doing that he probably didn't even know where he was. Jack wanted to kill everyone in the room for looking at him. He knew they all wanted him, but he was his dammit! Even if they hadn't gotten it back together yet. They were working on it. So the rift hadn't been a friend lately. That didn't mean they gave up!
“Oh my god!” Jack turned and saw Owen, Tosh and Gwen beside him. “Something's wrong!” Tosh exclaimed.
“What?! No!” Jack shook his head. “He's unbelievable!”
“He's normal,” Owen chimed in, raising a glass.
“I didn't know he could sing,” Gwen laughed, her hand on Jack's arm.
“No, you don't understand! Ianto told me earlier tonight, he doesn't dance and he doesn't sing! Ever! There's something wrong with him!” Tosh explained, clearly upset, and looking pleadingly at Jack.
Jack straightened up. This changes things, he thought. Besides, I'd rather he sang to me in private. Jack paused, contemplating his inner jealous streak. Ianto's voice brought him out of his reverie.
Oh and you come crash
into me, baby
And I come into you
Hike up your skirt a little more
and show the world to me
Hike up your skirt a little more
and show your world to me
In a boys dream.. In a boys dream
Oh I watch you there
through the window
And I stare at you
You wear nothing but you
wear it so well
tied up and twisted
the way I'd like to be
For you, for me, come crash
into me
“Perhaps we should wait until the end of his set?” Suggested Owen, and the others agreed.
Who got you off when you got yours?
Who was the first to spill your soul?
Who got you off? Well, I'm the one
Dreamed of doing it day and night
Oh sweet like candy to my soul
Sweet you rock and sweet you roll
Oh I swear over and over
It's you like a wave into me
When you come crash into me baby
Please come crash into me
Come crash into me
In a boy's dream
In a boy's dream
No miss you all? What runs your way?
Who runs up side you and begs everyday?
Who's watching you through your window?
Night Comes
Who celebrates with the moon?
That you're like a wave come again
Come and crash into me baby
And I come into you
In a boy's dream
In a boy's dream
Oh now it's here I build my soul
I swear, friend, don't you know
I'm bare boned and crazy for you
Oh when you come crash into me yeah
And you come into me
And you come into me
Hike up your skirt a little more
And show the world to me
Hike up your skirt a little more
And show the world to me
In a boy's dream yeah
In this boy's dream
I'll be your Dixie chicken
You be my Tennessee lamb
And we will walk together
Down in Dixie land
Crash into me
Crash into me
Crash into me
Crash into me
Oh I wanna play with you
As Ianto handed back the microphone to thunderous applause and cheering, the Torchwood crew rushed forward.
“Hey! Jack! Tosh! Gwen, Owen,” Ianto grinned as he stepped off the stage. “Did you see me up there?” he asked nodding his head. “It was really fun!”
“Oh we saw you, alright, mate,” Owen chuckled, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.
“You were quite good up there, Ianto!” Gwen praised. “I didn't know you could sing!”
Ianto shrugged, and looked at Jack. “I'm thirsty!”
“Well then,” Jack said, “Let's get you a drink, superstar.” Jack put his arm around Ianto's shoulders to keep him right beside him where he belonged, and led him back to the bar.
~*~
Jack had never heard Ianto talk so much in the two years he'd known him. He couldn't get him to shut up. Tosh was right, there was something seriously wrong with him. Anything that came to his mind, just came out of his mouth. So far, he'd called Gwen a barnacle, Owen a tosser, Tosh his best friend - which admittedly made her smile - and told Jack in no uncertain terms that until such times as he could trust Jack again, they wouldn't be having any sort of sex in the near future.
Which, while depressing, Jack had already figured out on his own, thank you very much Captain Obvious.
“O-kay, maybe it's time to take you home, Ianto?” Jack suggested, after the fifth lady had hit on him and he'd not so politely told her that while he was normally completely straight, he was in fact, falling for a man, and however flattered he was, he was emotionally unavailable, had a job with the worst hours in the world and was far too complex for any woman to want to date. And he didn't do one night stands, thank you very much.
“Fine. I'm going to the bathroom first,” he said, standing up and nearly falling down as he got to his feet. Jack caught him. “Thanks. Wow. Your eyes are really blue. Like cerulean blue. Beautiful.”
Jack smiled. “Thank you.”
Ianto shrugged. “Just stating fact. Right! Draining the dragon!” Ianto pulled out of his arms and disappeared.
But Ianto didn't come back. Jack asked Tosh, Gwen and Owen if they had seen him. No one had. They searched the bar, and found him... at the Karaoke section again, microphone in hand...
I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didn't know how lost I was
Until I found you
I was beat incomplete
I'd been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new
“I thought Teaboy was 'straight'?” Owen asked, frowning as he witnessed Ianto on stage practically making love to the microphone stand, free hand roaming over his body just like Madonna her film clips.
“He was,” Tosh agreed. “Until Jack.”
“Hey, nobody makes anyone else something they're not,” Jack retorted. “You people and your labels, honestly.”
“There is not enough alcohol in the world to get rid of this image,” Owen moaned, as Ianto reached the chorus.
“I dunno, I kinda like it!” Jack grinned and made his way closer.
Like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats [after first time, "With your heartbeat"]
Next to mine
Ianto saw Jack and grinned, as he moved to the front. He started singing to Jack, his hand movements still roaming over his body, but every now and then extending a hand out to Jack.
Gonna give you all my love, boy
My fear is fading fast
Been saving it all for you
'Cause only love can last
You're so fine and you're mine
Make me strong, yeah you make me bold
Oh your love thawed out
Yeah, your love thawed out
What was scared and cold
oooh oooh oooh
Like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats [after first time, "With your heartbeat"]
Next to mine
Like a virgin, ooh, ooh
Like a virgin
Feels so good inside
When you hold me, and your heart beats, and you love me
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ooh, baby
Can't you hear my heart beat
For the very first time?
As Ianto left the microphone stand on the stage, he threw himself at Jack, who caught him, and the crowd cheered and screamed.
“I thought you were going to the bathroom?” Jack asked, holding Ianto in his arms.
“I did, just a detour on the way home,” Ianto chuckled, his arms around Jack's neck.
Jack kissed him, unable to stop himself. “You're amazing up there.” He planted a kiss on Ianto's forehead. “Time to get you home before your fans want a piece of you.”
Jack set him down on the ground and with a hand on his back guided him out of the bar. He told the others through the comm that he was taking Ianto home and to go home. Ianto was still talking at a million miles an hour on the way back to his flat.
“So how come you never told us you could sing?” Jack had asked him.
“Do you tell us all your secrets?” Ianto asked him and looked over at Jack for a moment before he rolled his head back to look out the window again. “I don't tell anyone at work my secrets. Why should I? They don't know me, they don't like me. They don't respect me. Only Tosh takes the time to talk to me, and really, that's because I take the time to talk to her. Owen's too busy being mad at the world to stop and think about anyone other than himself and Gwen's so self-righteous and holier than thou, she wouldn't even bother. So why should I share my secrets with a bunch of people who don't think much more of me than I'm good for cleaning up after them, making them coffee, doing the work they don't want to do and shagging the boss when he wants to scratch an itch?”
Jack stilled and glanced over at Ianto when he pulled the car to a stop at a red light. “I thought you were all getting along better since I … went away?”
“Oh, you mean because we were a man down so they were forced to take me into the field because Gwen was sure you'd come back and she didn't want to hire anyone to take your place?” Ianto snorted and looked out the window. “Trust me, Jack. I know what they think of me.” He sighed. “I know what everyone thinks of me.”
“No, you don't.”
Ianto closed his eyes. “The world is spinning around us. One person such as me is insignificant in the big scheme of things. If they want to think of me as beneath them, then fine. I don't care, quite frankly.”
“Yes, you do.”
Ianto sighed. “Yeah, I do,” he agreed softly.
Jack pulled up outside Ianto's apartment complex. When Ianto tried to get out of the car however, he couldn't stand up. Jack caught him before he hit the pavement.
“What the hell?” Jack asked frantically and Ianto's eyes widened.
“Jack? Jack, I can't feel my legs!” he panicked.
Jack quickly helped him back onto the front seat of the car as gently as possible, then pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial 3. “Owen? There's something wrong with Ianto! He can't feel his legs! Get back to the Hub, I'm bringing him in! Call Tosh and Gwen and get them on it!” He looked back at Ianto who was starting to turn green. “Sit tight, Yan. We'll figure this out, okay?”
Ianto nodded, and Jack leaned in quickly to kiss his forehead before he ran around the SUV and jumped in, and sped off back to the Hub.
“Jack?” Ianto asked, holding on as tight as he could to the handle on the ceiling of the vehicle. “Jack why can't I feel my legs?”
Jack could tell he was scared by the tremble in his voice. “I don't know Ianto, but we're going to find out, okay?” he reassured him. “Can you tell me what you remember? Does it hurt at all? Any pins and needles?”
Ianto shook his head. “Nothing, I don't feel anything.” He started to poke at his legs with one fist. “I can't move my toes, I can't feel my toes, I can't move my ankles, do I have ankles? I still have my ankles right? I can see my feet. I hope they're still attached. What if they're not attached Jack?” Ianto looked at Jack with a horrified look on his face. “What if you get me out of the car and my feet fall off?”
“That won't happen, Ianto!” Jack's eyes widened so large, Jack thought his eyes might pop out of his own head. What the fuck? “Ianto, have you eaten anything unusual tonight?”
“No!” Ianto shook his head frantically. “No I haven't eaten since lunch. Noooooo.”
“Okay,” Jack tried to think while he was weaving in and out of traffic. Finally he slammed the SUV into park at the top of the Plass by the perception filter lift. “Right, let's get you inside.” He got out of the SUV and came around to Ianto's side of the car. “I'm going to carry you in, okay?”
Ianto nodded, and undid his seatbelt. With some manoeuvring, Jack picked Ianto up, one arm under his legs, the other around his back. Ianto held on around his neck and shoulders to try and take as much weight off Jack as possible. Jack laughed as he kicked the door of the SUV shut and carried him over to the lift.
“Guess I get to carry you over my threshold huh?” Jack joked, stepping on board.
“I don't get a proposal first?” Ianto pouted, sighing deeply.
“Would you say yes?” Jack asked, looking into his eyes. “If I asked?”
“Only if you meant it, which you wouldn't, because you don't love me,” Ianto muttered, hiding his face in Jack's neck. Jack frowned, and wondered what Ianto meant by that. “Why can't I feel my legs, Jack?” he whimpered.
“I don't know, but we're going to find out,” Jack said softly, kissing his hair. “I promise.” He stepped off the lift and carried him into the medical bay, placing him down on the autopsy table. Jack pulled out his phone. “Owen,” he said into it when the doctor answered his phone. “Where is everyone?!”
“Right behind you,” the grumpy doctor said, snapping his phone shut and racing in. “Tosh is on her computer, ready and waiting and Gwen's still on her way. Traffic, apparently. What's this about he can't feel his legs?”
Jack went through what happened, and Owen examined him as Jack explained.
“So he can't feel his legs now? For no apparent reason?” Owen clarified.
“Exactly,” Jack yelled, as they both looked at Ianto who was once again poking at his legs and frowning when they wouldn't move and he couldn't feel them.
“They don't work, Jack,” Ianto whimpered, and Jack moved over to hold his hand. “Why won't they work? They were working half an hour ago!?”
“I know, Yan, I know.”
Owen started running a barrage of tests, all of which could be run while Ianto just laid on the table, thanks to the alien technology they had. While they were running, Owen ran a toxicology test. An alarm sounded.
“What's that mean?” Jack asked urgently. “Owen, what does that mean?”
“We have a hit,” Owen said, looking at the results. “He's been drugged.” Owen printed off the results and showed it to Jack.
“This is a party drug from the Krolekai realm! What the hell is that doing in Ianto's system?” Jack asked, freaking out. “This could kill him!”
“Jack?!” Ianto started to panic.
“What?” Owen asked, ripping the result page back from Jack who rushed back to Ianto's side, and gripped his hand, and started to try to calm the panicking man. “What do you mean it could kill him?”
“Ianto's had alcohol,” Jack explained. “Krolekai Laxeti, the party drug, mixed with alcohol from here is toxic. It gives a massive high initially but then causes paralysis of all extremities and organs. Fucking hell! We need to get this out of his system, now!”
“Well is there a cure?” Ianto asked frantically.
“I don't know.” Jack looked down at Ianto, who was looking up at him, tears starting to slide down his face. “Hey, hey you're going to be okay. I promise. We will work this out. You are not going to die on me, okay? Because I want you to sing to me again.”
Ianto shook his head. “Fat bloody chance of that happening!” he complained. “I can't feel my stomach now.”
“Owen, look up Krolekai Laxeti poisoning,” Jack ordered, clicked on the comm button on the unit that was attached to his ear. “Tosh! Ianto's been poisoned. I need you to look up Krolekai Laxeti that's k-r-o-l-e-k-a-i l-a-x-e-t-i. We need to know how to get it out of someone's system once it's mixed with alcohol,” he paused. “It's toxic and it's fatal. So be fast!” He listened to Tosh. “Get back to me as soon as you do.” He hung up the phone and dialled Gwen. “Where are you Gwen? … I don't care about traffic, a member of our team is dying, get your ass in here now!” he said and hung up.
“What's Gwen going to do?” Ianto asked when Jack hung up.
“I don't know, maybe get in here and search the archives.”
“She better not fuck them up,” Ianto grumbled. “It took me two years to get them as organised as they are now.”
Jack leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. “She won't. It'll be okay.”
“You know, I hate it when you lie to me, Jack Harkness,” Ianto mumbled when Jack rested his forehead against Ianto's and closed his eyes.
“I know. I'm sorry.” Jack said softly. He pulled back to look at Ianto, and brushed the hair off his forehead.
“Shouldn't you be looking for a cure?” Ianto asked, and Jack shook his head.
“They'll find it. I'm needed here,” Jack said, squeezing Ianto's hand. “You know, you were so hot up on stage tonight.”
“Really?” Ianto scoffed.
“Really,” Jack grinned. “So hot. Especially that first song you sang. I thought I was going to come in my pants. So hot and sexy.”
Ianto sighed. “I sang it for you.”
“You did, huh?” Ianto nodded. “I'm glad. You know, when this is all over, and we have you back in one piece again, what's say you and me have that second date we've been planning to have but never get to?”
“Are you sure?” Ianto looked up at Jack.
“Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. I really want to, Ianto. I miss you. I miss being with you, I miss us. I know you don't trust me not to disappear, and I get that, but I really hope that you can give me that chance to show you that I'm not going anywhere, not without you.”
Ianto pulled Jack down to kiss him, his lips sucking on Jack's bottom lip. Jack eagerly deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking out Ianto's to tangle together. Jack's hands sought to support Ianto as he pulled him closer to him, and Ianto whimpered as he tried to get his body to move closer but couldn't get it to move.
The kiss ended when Owen came running in.
“I've got it!” he yelled, and ran to the medicine cabinet, and was rummaging through it, until he found what he was after. “I just need to give him a shot of this, it works like a-a an anti-venom I guess,” he said, getting a hypodermic needle and a vial of liquid and filling the hypodermic needle with the liquid and jamming it in Ianto's hip.
“Hey!” Ianto yelled out as the needle went in.
“Yeah, sorry, about that. It has to go in where the area is numb. Good thing you can't feel it, yeah?” Owen said, unapologetically. “It should wear off in about ten minutes.”
“You got that stopwatch?” Jack asked hopefully, and Ianto reached into the pocket of his waistcoat and pulled it out, clicking the button.
“Always at the ready.” Ianto gave Jack a small smile. “Say this works... how do we find out how this happened?” he asked.
“First we make sure this works,” Jack looked thunderous at Owen, who was biting his nails. “Then we investigate. If there's someone out there using this as a date-rape drug, then this is pretty dangerous. We're going to have to notify the police.”
Owen put up his hand with a sigh. “It was me.”
Ianto and Jack looked over at him. “What?” they said together.
“I did it,” Owen repeated. “I didn't know it was toxic when mixed with alcohol! My bad, I'm sorry! But we have the cure now, and he's going to be fine!”
“Owen, do you mean to tell me that you willingly put a member of your own team in serious jeopardy by drugging them with an alien party drug?” Jack asked incredulously, torn between wanting to shove the obviously scared doctor through the wall, and stay where he was holding the hand of the scared man on the table.
“Well, when you put it like that,” Owen shifted nervously.
“Why?” Ianto asked quietly from where he was lying on the table.
Owen sighed and looked at the floor. “Sounds pretty petty now, but I just wanted you to lighten up, mate. You're always so serious and uptight. Didn't think it would hurt you to unwind a little. You gotta admit, it was quite a change to see you having fun up on that karaoke stage, yeah? You're pretty good with a tune, aren'tcha. You're not so bad when you loosen up. I didn't know you can't mix it with anything. I thought it was harmless! There was nothing in database about it being fatal when mixed with alcohol. I wouldn't have given it to him otherwise! I swear it!”
Ianto looked away. He flexed his toes and looked at his feet. “I have feeling in my feet again,” he said quietly. Jack helped him to sit up, his hands roaming over Ianto's body just to make sure he was okay.
“You feel this?” Jack asked, running his hands up and down Ianto's thighs.
Ianto let out a sigh of relief and nodded. He could feel his legs.
“Oh thank god,” Jack hung his head and closed his eyes to hide the tears that welled there. Jack made Owen run all the tests again and only when they came back clear did Jack let Ianto try to move off the bed.
Ianto carefully moved his legs off the table to face the side and waited for Jack to move around. He slowly pushed off and tried to stand up. Jack watched, ready to catch him if he fell. He didn't. “I think I'll catch a taxi home.”
“No! I want you here, where I can see you. Please?” Jack asked, his hand on his shoulder. “Or at least let me drive you home. Please?”
Ianto nodded. “Okay. Drive me home, sir.”
Jack looked at Owen his eyes blazing with fury. “We're not done here. I will deal with you tomorrow. Tonight, clean this place up from top to toe, then go home. Be here at 9am.”
“Yes sir,” Owen said, hanging his head.
Jack put his hand on Ianto's lower back as he guided him out of the autopsy bay. “Oh and Owen, call Tosh and Gwen and tell them to stop looking for the cure.” The doctor nodded in response.
~*~
Ianto was silent on the second drive back to his flat for that night. Jack followed him up to his flat. Once inside, Ianto wasn't sure what to do, where they should be or what they should do.
“C'mon, let's get you into bed,” Jack suggested, and ushered him to Ianto's bedroom. He waited patiently as Ianto undressed and hung up his suit, tossed his dress shirt into the hamper and disappeared into the bathroom. When he came out, Jack had turned down the bed, taken off his coat, slid his braces down his shoulders to hang at his sides, kicked off his shoes and taken off his dress shirt. He was standing beside the bed. “In you get.”
Ianto did as he was told, and Jack tucked him in, before climbing over him to sit up on the other side, stretching his legs out. Ianto rolled over to look at Jack. Jack smiled and lifted an arm, which Ianto immediately snuggled under, resting his head on Jack's chest, his arm around his waist.
“What do you think I should do about Owen?” Jack asked, as his carded his fingers through Ianto's hair.
“What do you think you should do?” Ianto asked, sighing in contentment at Jack's ministrations.
“I should fire him, retcon his ass. What he did tonight was unacceptable! It was downright dangerous. You could have died!” Jack's voice cracked towards the end.
Ianto looked up at Jack, “But I didn't.” He sighed and rested his head back on Jack's chest. “He was right about me needing to relax more.”
“Ianto.”
He sighed. “It's fine. Honestly Jack. We can call it even now. I nearly got him killed with Lisa. He nearly killed me with the Krolekai Laxeti.”
“I can't afford to fire him, I guess,” Jack sighed. “He's got Hub duty for a month. And you're not to clean his autopsy bay for 6, is that clear? He can do it himself.”
“Crystal.” Ianto smiled. “I have a punishment of my own.”
Jack laughed. “I can imagine.” He pressed a kiss to Ianto's hair. “C'mon. Lay down and get some sleep. I'll stay if you want.”
“I want,” Ianto yawned, rolling back. Jack pressed some buttons on his wrist strap, checking the rift was still clear, which it was. Then he kicked off his pants, pulled off his shirt and got into bed next to Ianto, pulling him into his arms. “Thank you for looking after me tonight.”
“It was my pleasure,” Jack said, squeezing him tightly. “Just... next time you want to serenade me, do it in a room with less people, preferably just us, okay? Way too many people in that room wanted you for my liking tonight.”
Ianto snorted out a laugh. “Doubtful.”
“Trust me, Ianto, you were amazing. Now, go to sleep.”
“Yes, sir.”
~*~
The next morning, Owen arrived at work at the required time to find Jack and Ianto already waiting for him in the autopsy bay. Jack told Owen of his punishment, Hub duty instead of Field duty for a month, and he was to clean his own autopsy mess for 6 months, not to rely on Ianto to do it for him.
“Considering what you did, you're getting off lightly,” Jack warned him.
“I know. Thank you,” Owen nodded. “And Ianto, mate, I really am sorry.”
Ianto smiled. “Apology accepted. I know I can come across as a little... anal, at times, but really, this place wouldn't run the way it does if I didn't, and you know it.”
“Fair enough.”
Ianto excused himself for a moment and came back with two cups of coffee, handing Jack his in his usual blue and white striped mug, before walking down into the autopsy bay to give Owen his. Owen lifted his cup of coffee and Ianto turned back to head up the stairs.
Ianto said with a straight face, “Enjoy your coffee, Owen.”
“Is it laced?” Owen asked, looking up at his boss and the archivist. Owen thought twice about drinking the steaming cup of coffee, and placed it back down on the surgical tray.
“No, worse,” Ianto smirked. “Decaf.” Ianto turned on his heel and left, Jack grinning as he watched his soon-to-be lover leave.
“Guess I deserve that.” Owen sighed.