Fic: The Curious Case Of Ianto Jones (Torchwood Jack/Ianto PG Time Verse)
Title: The Curious Case Of Ianto Jones
Author: magikalrhiannon
Beta: kajmere
Fandom: Torchwood AU
Verse: Time Verse
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Spoilers: All up to Season 2 Ep 11 Adrift
Summary: Everyone wants to test Ianto's immortality...everyone, except Jack.
Word Count: 3671
Disclaimer: All rights belong to BBC and Russell T Davies. I'm just finger-painting in someone else's masterpiece. No infringement intended.
Notes: For kajmere, cuz she owns me.
You will need to read Adrift In Time for this to make any sense.
Follows A Deal Is A Deal
Tosh walked into Jack's office, knocking on the window as she entered. He looked up.
“Tosh, what's up?”
She held up a piece of paper. “Weevil alert, Moreland Park. Do you want Owen and I to-?”
“No, it's fine. Ianto and I'll take it. Been a while since we went weevil hunting,” he grinned, reaching for his phone.
Tosh looked at him for a moment and then asked, “Jack, do you actually hunt weevils or-?”
“Yes, Tosh, we actually hunt weevils.” Jack smirked, as he lifted his phone against his ear, “The orgasm after is so much better with the adrenaline rush.”
Tosh's mouth fell open before she covered it and laughed. “Sorry I asked.”
“No, you're not,” he teased then lifted the phone to his mouth. “Ianto! Get up here. Weevils in Moreland Park... Well you can do that later... Nope, I want you... Uh huh... Well unless you want me to go hunting with Gw... Thought you might. See you soon.” He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “He's on his way up,” he said to Tosh.
“Yeah. Ah, Jack, before he gets here, I wanted to talk to you about testing his immort-”
“Forget it.” Jack stood up and opened his drawer, pulling out his webley and checking to make sure it was loaded before placing it in his shoulder holster.
“But Jack-”
He looked up as he rounded the desk. “I said forget it, Tosh. We're not experimenting on him, and that's final.”
Ianto ran into the office as Jack picked up his coat from the coat rack. “What do you think you're doing?” he asked, smiling.
“Handing you my coat?” Jack replied, offering it. Ianto took it and held it out for Jack to slip into. “Let's go.”
“Yep. See you later, Tosh,” Ianto gave her a smile.
“Be careful,” she said with a frown.
“Always am!” Jack called out as he headed to the garage, Ianto on his heels.
Tosh watched them leave, her mind racing at a million miles an hour. She had thought of a few ideas that she had wanted to run past Martha and Owen, but before she brought them to their attention, she wanted to get Jack or Ianto's opinion first. Jack hadn't even heard her out before he shut her down. It wasn't like she wanted to turn Ianto into a lab rat! She wouldn't ever do that to her best friend! Frankly, she was a little hurt by the insinuation.
Sighing, she left Jack's office and returned to her desk. She had some more thinking to do.
~*~
Ianto and Jack heaved the unconscious body into the back of the SUV. Jack slammed the door shut, while Ianto leaned against the side of the vehicle.
“Jack?”
“Mmhmm.” Jack strutted around to stand in front of his lover, who had Jack's blood stained on his shirt.
“Why did you throw yourself in front of me when the weevil came at me?” Ianto asked, frowning a little as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
“He was going to bite you,” Jack said as if it was obvious. “And I didn't throw myself in front of you-”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “You dived so well you may as well have scored a winning try for the Welsh rugby team.”
“How many points does that get me?” Jack teased, grinning as he playfully pulled on Ianto's tie.
Ianto didn't smile back. “None, since he gouged you to death... again. Really, Jack, I don't need you dying on my behalf.”
Jack straightened up and stopped smiling. “Ianto-”
“No, Jack. This has to stop, or we can't go on missions together. I can't have you prioritising my life over everything else. Especially when the Doctor said that there was no need for this nonsense.”
Jack's eyes narrowed. “Making sure you survive is not nonsense.”
Ianto huffed. “It is when I'm immortal.”
“We don't know that. He just thinks that!” Jack retorted.
Ianto sighed. “Yes, well, we both know the man isn't perfect, but it was his last incarnation that caused all the damage with you. This one seems to be quite clever. Still, that doesn't mean he knows everything.”
“Thank you,” Jack sagged in relief and pulled Ianto against him in a hug. “I'm glad we're on the same page.”
“So, we should find out for ourselves.”
Jack pulled back. “No! Absolutely not!”
“Jack-”
“No!” Jack shook his head. “You are not a science experiment. End of discussion.”
“But-”
“I said end of discussion.” Jack turned and walked around the car. “Let's go, before our guest wakes up.”
Ianto sighed again, and kicked the tire before he yanked open the passenger door and climbed inside. He'd been thinking about bringing the topic up with Jack for a while now. Of course, the Doctor had done his tests, and that was all well and good, but how sure in the knowledge could they be from a... a... sonic screwdriver that Ianto would in fact revive again, should the worst happen and he were to die?
Clearly Jack didn't stock much faith in the Doctor's findings if he were more than willing to throw himself in harm's way and stop Ianto from being injured or mortally wounded. God dammit, he wasn't made of glass and he was tired of being treated as such. He was a solider now. He knew it was going to take Jack time to adjust but it had been six months at Torchwood already. Really, he'd been fairly patient as it was. He had to get Jack to relax, just a little, and see that there had to be ways to test the immortality theory without actually killing him.
Maybe if he spoke to Martha and Owen first, they could take a case to Jack and he'd see that they didn't have to experiment on him to get the answers they needed. Toshiko might even have some ideas. She was quite intelligent, even if her intelligence did normally lend itself to technology, that might be an advantage in this instance.
“Whatever you're scheming in that brain of yours over there, forget it,” Jack muttered, his eyes on the road.
Ianto tore his eyes away from the scenery rushing past and spared a glance at his partner. “I never 'scheme', Jack Harkness.”
“I can hear the wheels turning from here, Ianto. I said let it go and I meant it.”
Ianto looked back out the window. “This is my life we're talking about here, Jack.”
Jack turned in his seat. “You think I don't know that?!” he asked incredulously.
“Watch the road, Jack,” Ianto said calmly, as the vehicle veered onto the wrong side of the road.
“Fuck!” Jack yanked on the steering wheel and brought the SUV back onto the correct side of the road to the sound of car horns. “God dammit!”
“Calm down.”
“Don't tell me to calm down!” Jack huffed, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
“If you don't calm the fuck down, you'll crash the bloody car, and then you'll find out if I'm bloody immortal or not! Is that what you want?” Ianto asked bluntly. Jack paled. “No, I didn't think so.” Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Good. Now... I'll let it go.”
“Thank you,” Jack's voice was full of relief.
“For now.” Jack groaned. “You can bury your head in the sand all you like, Jack Harkness, but this needs to be talked about,” Ianto stated plainly.
Jack pulled the vehicle in to the underground parking lot of the Hub and slammed on the breaks. He turned in his seat and looked at his lover.
“Do my wishes mean nothing to you?” he asked, frowning. “I said we leave this alone. It's not up for discussion. It's not up for debate. We're not experimenting on you, Ianto, and that's final.”
“Jack-”
“No! Leave it alone.” Jack got out of the car and slammed the door shut.
Ianto scrambled out of the vehicle. “This isn't like Flat Holm Jack!” Jack turned and stared at him. “This isn't a secret you can order me to hide. This is my future. I need to know.”
The hurt on Jack's face was evident. “I thought it was our future?”
Ianto's mouth fell open, his heart beating so hard in his chest but he didn't know what to say in response. Jack turned and walked inside, leaving Ianto to deal with the unconscious weevil in the back of the SUV.
~*~
Ianto and Jack had avoided each other the rest of the night, with Ianto hiding in the archives and Jack in his office. Donna had ordered dinner and brought it down to Ianto on Jack's instructions, since he always knew where his lover was even when they weren't speaking. When Ianto had had enough for the night, he rubbed his eyes and stretched, shut down his computer and made his way upstairs. He was surprised to find it was just after midnight.
Jack was hunched over his desk completing forms that Ianto had been on his back about for the last two weeks when Ianto walked in with a steaming cup of coffee and a biscuit on a plate. Jack didn't acknowledge him, but Ianto pressed a kiss to his head.
“I'm sorry. I hate arguing.” Ianto closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Jack's hair. Jack hadn't moved. “I'm going to bed. Come down when you're ready, or sleep on the couch. It's up to you.” He pressed another kiss to Jack's hair and squeezed his shoulder before making his way to the open manhole in the floor behind Jack's desk to have a shower and slide into bed.
He was barely awake when Jack's warm body, fresh from the shower, slid beneath the covers beside him. Jack curled up around his back, pulling his body back hard against him, and wrapped his arms around him as he nuzzled his face into his neck.
“Mmm, Jack,” Ianto murmured, pressing back and running a hand over Jack's arm that was around him. Jack's body was trembling. “Hey? Jack?” Ianto asked, as he blinked awake. “What is it?” Jack shook his head and held Ianto tighter. “I'm here, Jack.” Jack nodded. “It's okay. I'm here.”
Jack tangled his limbs in Ianto's, and pressed light kisses on Ianto's neck as he let sleep claim them, but he never said a word.
When Ianto woke in the morning, he was alone.
~*~
It was a week later when Ianto had helped Owen carry an alien carcass into autopsy that Owen noticed a deep cut on Ianto's arm.
“Blimey, Ianto, why didn't you say something?” Owen griped at him as they dropped the carcass onto the table.
“Oh. It's just a scratch,” Ianto dismissed Owen's concern with a shrug. The doctor, however, wasn't so willing to let it go. “What are you doing?!” he asked when Owen ripped off the rest of the torn arm from his dress shirt.
“Oh save the outrage will ya? It's not like you were going to be able to save it with that giant tear in it,” Owen reasoned as he tossed it in the bin and pulled up a couple of stools. “Sit.”
“Owen-”
“Did it sound like I was giving you a choice?” Owen asked, raising an eyebrow. “You may be second in command around here, but as your physician, it's my job to make sure you're still in one piece to go gallivanting around out there with Captain Flappy-Jacket, now sit.”
Ianto tried to suppress his smile. “Exactly how many nicknames does the team have for Jack anyway?” he asked as he sat down on the stool that Owen kicked in his direction.
“Quite a few and not all of them are repeatable in mixed company. Though I must admit, some of Donna's would make you blush. Give us your arm.” Owen cleaned off the blood, apologising when Ianto winced. “This will need stitches.”
“No, it won't.” Ianto sighed.
“All due respect, Ianto, I'm the doctor here-”
“It will heal in half an hour, Owen. Really, I'm fine.” Ianto shook his head. “I've had worse cuts that this in the past and they all healed. Not a mark on me.”
Owen sat back. “Huh. So you're really like Jack now?” Ianto shrugged. “I mean, you heal faster, and I know you two said that you're immortal but...”
Ianto raised an eyebrow. “But?”
“Can you? Die and come back, I mean.”
Ianto shrugged. “The Doctor said that if I died I would revive, much like Jack, but...”
“But you don't know for certain,” Owen finished for him. Ianto shook his head and looked at the ground. “Well then. We should work out a way to test that theory out before it happens in the field.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “Jack won't hear of it.”
“Surely you can talk him into it? Don't you have him wrapped around your little finger?” Owen teased him.
Ianto stood up. “Contrary to popular belief, Jack Harkness isn't wrapped around anyone's little finger, least of all mine. If you want to have a go at talking him into it, by all means go right ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you when you lose your head.”
Ianto was halfway up the stairs when Owen swiveled on his chair and said, “I'm fairly certain we can make Jack listen. He's a reasonable man.”
Ianto snorted. “We are talking about the same Jack Harkness, aren't we? Forget about it Owen. It's a dead subject,” Ianto said as he walked out of the autopsy room, chuckling at his own pun.
“That wasn't funny!” Owen yelled out to him, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Yes it was!”
Owen shook his head and couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips at Ianto's insistent reply that was hollered back at him from wherever he'd disappeared to.
He rolled his stool over to his computer and leaned on the desk, thinking. He couldn't go to Jack without a plan. When it came to Ianto, everyone on the team knew that he was irrational. Ianto had started staying back at the Hub with Donna, co-ordinating from behind. Even Owen could see that it was frustrating the archivist. Not that he would ever say anything - Ianto was too professional to put his personal feelings ahead of the good of the team.
Well. Owen supposed he wasn't just an archivist anymore, was he?
He sighed. This problem would definitely take more thinking. Maybe another brain as intelligent as his. He picked up his phone and hit speed dial.
“Dr Jones, I presume...” he chuckled at her response. “No, no. No emergency. Actually, I was sitting here pondering the mysteries of the universe, and I thought of you... Listen, I need your help...”
~*~
Martha and Owen were huddled over Martha's computer and muttering quietly when Jack walked past.
“Here's a couple of Doctors up to no good,” Jack teased, slapping some files down on Martha's desk, making them jump. He folded his arms over his chest. “Ah, so you really are up to no good. Spill, what are you working on?”
Martha and Owen looked at each other guiltily before Martha turned back to Jack and said, “We were trying to work out a way that we could test Ianto's immort-”
Jack's face hardened. “Forget it!”
“Jack, hear her out before you go off half-cocked, mate,” Owen suggested, sitting on the edge of Martha's desk.
“I said forget it! Why doesn't anyone in this place listen to me anymore?” he asked himself out loud as he looked up at the ceiling. Looking back at Martha and Owen, he pointed at the computer. “I don't care what it is, I don't care what you came up with. Shut it down.”
“But Jack-!” Martha started only have Jack turned back and stare at her coldly.
“Ianto is not one of your experiments, Doctor Jones. He is not a patient, he is not sick, he is not dying. There will be no tests, no blood work, no xrays, no turning him into a lab rat. Leave him alone. That's an order! Understood?”
Martha looked stunned momentarily but then straightened her back and nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
Jack looked at Owen. “Understood?”
Owen stared at him, then waved his hand in the air. “Yeah, yeah alright, whatever you say.”
“Good. Now go and find some real work to do.” Jack turned on his heal and stormed off.
Owen blew out a breath as they watched him go. “Bloody hell, I thought the Teaboy was exaggerating when he said the boss wouldn't hear of it. Turns out he was understating it, the little blighter.”
Martha leaned back in her chair and tapped her chin with a fingernail. “Jack's scared.”
Owen laughed. “Harkness? He's never been scared of anything.”
Martha swatted Owen with a file. “He's scared of losing Ianto. He's scared what the Doctor told him was wrong.”
“Well, we could always do tests behind his back.”
Martha shook her head. “No. Two reasons. One, the CCTV would catch us, and Jack would know if we delete the footage, and two, Ianto would never go against Jack's express wishes.”
Owen sighed. “Well that's just bollocks then isn't it?” He pushed off Martha's desk and walked off.
“You're welcome!” Martha called out, smiling when Owen waved back.
~*~
Jack stormed back into the office he shared with Ianto, causing his lover to look up from his computer.
“Did you start this?” Jack demanded, pointing up at where Martha and Owen's desks were located in what used to be the hothouse.
Ianto frowned. “Start what? What on earth are you talking about?”
“Martha and Owen and their quest to find out if you're immortal?! I thought I told you-”
Ianto's eyes widened. “Their what?”
Jack stopped and stared at Ianto. He put his hands on his hips. “You really had nothing to do with it?”
Ianto sighed and saved what he was doing. He stood up and moved around his desk to perch on the edge of it.
“Jack, you said to drop it. Now, I may want to explore it, but right now you're not ready to. I respect that. So no, I didn't put them up to it. In fact, Owen brought it up to me.”
Jack's eyes narrowed. “What did you tell him?”
Ianto smirked a little. “That you had said to drop it, but he was more than welcome to discuss it with you if he wanted to lose his head. Oh, and he calls you 'Captain Flappy-Jacket'.” Ianto crossed his arms over his chest. “It's kind of cute, really.”
Jack considered the information. “I've had worse nicknames.”
Ianto chuckled. “I'm sure.” Jack moved closer, and Ianto reached out to pull him in closer to him, spreading his legs to give him room. “Did you yell at them?” His lover had the decency to look guilty. “Jack.”
“I... didn't yell. I commanded. As is my right as leader of this organisation.”
Ianto pulled back a little to look at him. “Oh, you have been spending way too much time with me, haven't you?”
Jack laughed. “There's no such thing as too much time with you.”
Ianto murmured his disagreement. “I was thinking of going to Newport this weekend to see Rhiannon and the kids since I have Saturday off.”
Jack paled. “I thought you were going to look at properties around here for us to move into?”
Ianto smiled. “Check your email. We have a viewing booked for tonight, and if we like it, we can sign on the dotted line. Apparently they're eager for a sale.”
Jack nodded slowly. “Can I go with you to see the kids? It's been awhile since I've seen Rhi. I've missed her.” Ianto hesitated, and Jack looked away.
“We leave early in the morning, okay?” Ianto asked. “David has a football game he wanted me there for.”
Jack grinned. “I can do early. I'll make sure the others know we're out for the day.” He leaned in and pressed his lips against Ianto's. “I love you,” he said softly, resting his forehead against his lover's. He closed his eyes and breathed in Ianto's scent, coffee, an earthy smell that was uniquely him and his cologne.
“I love you too, Jack.”
He lifted his head and looked down at Ianto. “Right. Show me this property that we're going to see tonight.”
Ianto lit up and pushed Jack back. “It's not at all what either of us were contemplating, but I think it fits everything that we're after,” Ianto ushered Jack over to his desk to sit down at his computer and log into his email. He showed him through what he had found and they started discussing their future.
It was moments like these that made Ianto wonder why Jack was so scared to find out if the Doctor was right or not. One way or another, he would find out the truth. He would just have to bide his time.
Next story in Time Verse is The Batcave
Author: magikalrhiannon
Beta: kajmere
Fandom: Torchwood AU
Verse: Time Verse
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Spoilers: All up to Season 2 Ep 11 Adrift
Summary: Everyone wants to test Ianto's immortality...everyone, except Jack.
Word Count: 3671
Disclaimer: All rights belong to BBC and Russell T Davies. I'm just finger-painting in someone else's masterpiece. No infringement intended.
Notes: For kajmere, cuz she owns me.
You will need to read Adrift In Time for this to make any sense.
Follows A Deal Is A Deal
Tosh walked into Jack's office, knocking on the window as she entered. He looked up.
“Tosh, what's up?”
She held up a piece of paper. “Weevil alert, Moreland Park. Do you want Owen and I to-?”
“No, it's fine. Ianto and I'll take it. Been a while since we went weevil hunting,” he grinned, reaching for his phone.
Tosh looked at him for a moment and then asked, “Jack, do you actually hunt weevils or-?”
“Yes, Tosh, we actually hunt weevils.” Jack smirked, as he lifted his phone against his ear, “The orgasm after is so much better with the adrenaline rush.”
Tosh's mouth fell open before she covered it and laughed. “Sorry I asked.”
“No, you're not,” he teased then lifted the phone to his mouth. “Ianto! Get up here. Weevils in Moreland Park... Well you can do that later... Nope, I want you... Uh huh... Well unless you want me to go hunting with Gw... Thought you might. See you soon.” He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “He's on his way up,” he said to Tosh.
“Yeah. Ah, Jack, before he gets here, I wanted to talk to you about testing his immort-”
“Forget it.” Jack stood up and opened his drawer, pulling out his webley and checking to make sure it was loaded before placing it in his shoulder holster.
“But Jack-”
He looked up as he rounded the desk. “I said forget it, Tosh. We're not experimenting on him, and that's final.”
Ianto ran into the office as Jack picked up his coat from the coat rack. “What do you think you're doing?” he asked, smiling.
“Handing you my coat?” Jack replied, offering it. Ianto took it and held it out for Jack to slip into. “Let's go.”
“Yep. See you later, Tosh,” Ianto gave her a smile.
“Be careful,” she said with a frown.
“Always am!” Jack called out as he headed to the garage, Ianto on his heels.
Tosh watched them leave, her mind racing at a million miles an hour. She had thought of a few ideas that she had wanted to run past Martha and Owen, but before she brought them to their attention, she wanted to get Jack or Ianto's opinion first. Jack hadn't even heard her out before he shut her down. It wasn't like she wanted to turn Ianto into a lab rat! She wouldn't ever do that to her best friend! Frankly, she was a little hurt by the insinuation.
Sighing, she left Jack's office and returned to her desk. She had some more thinking to do.
~*~
Ianto and Jack heaved the unconscious body into the back of the SUV. Jack slammed the door shut, while Ianto leaned against the side of the vehicle.
“Jack?”
“Mmhmm.” Jack strutted around to stand in front of his lover, who had Jack's blood stained on his shirt.
“Why did you throw yourself in front of me when the weevil came at me?” Ianto asked, frowning a little as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
“He was going to bite you,” Jack said as if it was obvious. “And I didn't throw myself in front of you-”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “You dived so well you may as well have scored a winning try for the Welsh rugby team.”
“How many points does that get me?” Jack teased, grinning as he playfully pulled on Ianto's tie.
Ianto didn't smile back. “None, since he gouged you to death... again. Really, Jack, I don't need you dying on my behalf.”
Jack straightened up and stopped smiling. “Ianto-”
“No, Jack. This has to stop, or we can't go on missions together. I can't have you prioritising my life over everything else. Especially when the Doctor said that there was no need for this nonsense.”
Jack's eyes narrowed. “Making sure you survive is not nonsense.”
Ianto huffed. “It is when I'm immortal.”
“We don't know that. He just thinks that!” Jack retorted.
Ianto sighed. “Yes, well, we both know the man isn't perfect, but it was his last incarnation that caused all the damage with you. This one seems to be quite clever. Still, that doesn't mean he knows everything.”
“Thank you,” Jack sagged in relief and pulled Ianto against him in a hug. “I'm glad we're on the same page.”
“So, we should find out for ourselves.”
Jack pulled back. “No! Absolutely not!”
“Jack-”
“No!” Jack shook his head. “You are not a science experiment. End of discussion.”
“But-”
“I said end of discussion.” Jack turned and walked around the car. “Let's go, before our guest wakes up.”
Ianto sighed again, and kicked the tire before he yanked open the passenger door and climbed inside. He'd been thinking about bringing the topic up with Jack for a while now. Of course, the Doctor had done his tests, and that was all well and good, but how sure in the knowledge could they be from a... a... sonic screwdriver that Ianto would in fact revive again, should the worst happen and he were to die?
Clearly Jack didn't stock much faith in the Doctor's findings if he were more than willing to throw himself in harm's way and stop Ianto from being injured or mortally wounded. God dammit, he wasn't made of glass and he was tired of being treated as such. He was a solider now. He knew it was going to take Jack time to adjust but it had been six months at Torchwood already. Really, he'd been fairly patient as it was. He had to get Jack to relax, just a little, and see that there had to be ways to test the immortality theory without actually killing him.
Maybe if he spoke to Martha and Owen first, they could take a case to Jack and he'd see that they didn't have to experiment on him to get the answers they needed. Toshiko might even have some ideas. She was quite intelligent, even if her intelligence did normally lend itself to technology, that might be an advantage in this instance.
“Whatever you're scheming in that brain of yours over there, forget it,” Jack muttered, his eyes on the road.
Ianto tore his eyes away from the scenery rushing past and spared a glance at his partner. “I never 'scheme', Jack Harkness.”
“I can hear the wheels turning from here, Ianto. I said let it go and I meant it.”
Ianto looked back out the window. “This is my life we're talking about here, Jack.”
Jack turned in his seat. “You think I don't know that?!” he asked incredulously.
“Watch the road, Jack,” Ianto said calmly, as the vehicle veered onto the wrong side of the road.
“Fuck!” Jack yanked on the steering wheel and brought the SUV back onto the correct side of the road to the sound of car horns. “God dammit!”
“Calm down.”
“Don't tell me to calm down!” Jack huffed, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
“If you don't calm the fuck down, you'll crash the bloody car, and then you'll find out if I'm bloody immortal or not! Is that what you want?” Ianto asked bluntly. Jack paled. “No, I didn't think so.” Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Good. Now... I'll let it go.”
“Thank you,” Jack's voice was full of relief.
“For now.” Jack groaned. “You can bury your head in the sand all you like, Jack Harkness, but this needs to be talked about,” Ianto stated plainly.
Jack pulled the vehicle in to the underground parking lot of the Hub and slammed on the breaks. He turned in his seat and looked at his lover.
“Do my wishes mean nothing to you?” he asked, frowning. “I said we leave this alone. It's not up for discussion. It's not up for debate. We're not experimenting on you, Ianto, and that's final.”
“Jack-”
“No! Leave it alone.” Jack got out of the car and slammed the door shut.
Ianto scrambled out of the vehicle. “This isn't like Flat Holm Jack!” Jack turned and stared at him. “This isn't a secret you can order me to hide. This is my future. I need to know.”
The hurt on Jack's face was evident. “I thought it was our future?”
Ianto's mouth fell open, his heart beating so hard in his chest but he didn't know what to say in response. Jack turned and walked inside, leaving Ianto to deal with the unconscious weevil in the back of the SUV.
~*~
Ianto and Jack had avoided each other the rest of the night, with Ianto hiding in the archives and Jack in his office. Donna had ordered dinner and brought it down to Ianto on Jack's instructions, since he always knew where his lover was even when they weren't speaking. When Ianto had had enough for the night, he rubbed his eyes and stretched, shut down his computer and made his way upstairs. He was surprised to find it was just after midnight.
Jack was hunched over his desk completing forms that Ianto had been on his back about for the last two weeks when Ianto walked in with a steaming cup of coffee and a biscuit on a plate. Jack didn't acknowledge him, but Ianto pressed a kiss to his head.
“I'm sorry. I hate arguing.” Ianto closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Jack's hair. Jack hadn't moved. “I'm going to bed. Come down when you're ready, or sleep on the couch. It's up to you.” He pressed another kiss to Jack's hair and squeezed his shoulder before making his way to the open manhole in the floor behind Jack's desk to have a shower and slide into bed.
He was barely awake when Jack's warm body, fresh from the shower, slid beneath the covers beside him. Jack curled up around his back, pulling his body back hard against him, and wrapped his arms around him as he nuzzled his face into his neck.
“Mmm, Jack,” Ianto murmured, pressing back and running a hand over Jack's arm that was around him. Jack's body was trembling. “Hey? Jack?” Ianto asked, as he blinked awake. “What is it?” Jack shook his head and held Ianto tighter. “I'm here, Jack.” Jack nodded. “It's okay. I'm here.”
Jack tangled his limbs in Ianto's, and pressed light kisses on Ianto's neck as he let sleep claim them, but he never said a word.
When Ianto woke in the morning, he was alone.
~*~
It was a week later when Ianto had helped Owen carry an alien carcass into autopsy that Owen noticed a deep cut on Ianto's arm.
“Blimey, Ianto, why didn't you say something?” Owen griped at him as they dropped the carcass onto the table.
“Oh. It's just a scratch,” Ianto dismissed Owen's concern with a shrug. The doctor, however, wasn't so willing to let it go. “What are you doing?!” he asked when Owen ripped off the rest of the torn arm from his dress shirt.
“Oh save the outrage will ya? It's not like you were going to be able to save it with that giant tear in it,” Owen reasoned as he tossed it in the bin and pulled up a couple of stools. “Sit.”
“Owen-”
“Did it sound like I was giving you a choice?” Owen asked, raising an eyebrow. “You may be second in command around here, but as your physician, it's my job to make sure you're still in one piece to go gallivanting around out there with Captain Flappy-Jacket, now sit.”
Ianto tried to suppress his smile. “Exactly how many nicknames does the team have for Jack anyway?” he asked as he sat down on the stool that Owen kicked in his direction.
“Quite a few and not all of them are repeatable in mixed company. Though I must admit, some of Donna's would make you blush. Give us your arm.” Owen cleaned off the blood, apologising when Ianto winced. “This will need stitches.”
“No, it won't.” Ianto sighed.
“All due respect, Ianto, I'm the doctor here-”
“It will heal in half an hour, Owen. Really, I'm fine.” Ianto shook his head. “I've had worse cuts that this in the past and they all healed. Not a mark on me.”
Owen sat back. “Huh. So you're really like Jack now?” Ianto shrugged. “I mean, you heal faster, and I know you two said that you're immortal but...”
Ianto raised an eyebrow. “But?”
“Can you? Die and come back, I mean.”
Ianto shrugged. “The Doctor said that if I died I would revive, much like Jack, but...”
“But you don't know for certain,” Owen finished for him. Ianto shook his head and looked at the ground. “Well then. We should work out a way to test that theory out before it happens in the field.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “Jack won't hear of it.”
“Surely you can talk him into it? Don't you have him wrapped around your little finger?” Owen teased him.
Ianto stood up. “Contrary to popular belief, Jack Harkness isn't wrapped around anyone's little finger, least of all mine. If you want to have a go at talking him into it, by all means go right ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you when you lose your head.”
Ianto was halfway up the stairs when Owen swiveled on his chair and said, “I'm fairly certain we can make Jack listen. He's a reasonable man.”
Ianto snorted. “We are talking about the same Jack Harkness, aren't we? Forget about it Owen. It's a dead subject,” Ianto said as he walked out of the autopsy room, chuckling at his own pun.
“That wasn't funny!” Owen yelled out to him, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Yes it was!”
Owen shook his head and couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips at Ianto's insistent reply that was hollered back at him from wherever he'd disappeared to.
He rolled his stool over to his computer and leaned on the desk, thinking. He couldn't go to Jack without a plan. When it came to Ianto, everyone on the team knew that he was irrational. Ianto had started staying back at the Hub with Donna, co-ordinating from behind. Even Owen could see that it was frustrating the archivist. Not that he would ever say anything - Ianto was too professional to put his personal feelings ahead of the good of the team.
Well. Owen supposed he wasn't just an archivist anymore, was he?
He sighed. This problem would definitely take more thinking. Maybe another brain as intelligent as his. He picked up his phone and hit speed dial.
“Dr Jones, I presume...” he chuckled at her response. “No, no. No emergency. Actually, I was sitting here pondering the mysteries of the universe, and I thought of you... Listen, I need your help...”
~*~
Martha and Owen were huddled over Martha's computer and muttering quietly when Jack walked past.
“Here's a couple of Doctors up to no good,” Jack teased, slapping some files down on Martha's desk, making them jump. He folded his arms over his chest. “Ah, so you really are up to no good. Spill, what are you working on?”
Martha and Owen looked at each other guiltily before Martha turned back to Jack and said, “We were trying to work out a way that we could test Ianto's immort-”
Jack's face hardened. “Forget it!”
“Jack, hear her out before you go off half-cocked, mate,” Owen suggested, sitting on the edge of Martha's desk.
“I said forget it! Why doesn't anyone in this place listen to me anymore?” he asked himself out loud as he looked up at the ceiling. Looking back at Martha and Owen, he pointed at the computer. “I don't care what it is, I don't care what you came up with. Shut it down.”
“But Jack-!” Martha started only have Jack turned back and stare at her coldly.
“Ianto is not one of your experiments, Doctor Jones. He is not a patient, he is not sick, he is not dying. There will be no tests, no blood work, no xrays, no turning him into a lab rat. Leave him alone. That's an order! Understood?”
Martha looked stunned momentarily but then straightened her back and nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
Jack looked at Owen. “Understood?”
Owen stared at him, then waved his hand in the air. “Yeah, yeah alright, whatever you say.”
“Good. Now go and find some real work to do.” Jack turned on his heal and stormed off.
Owen blew out a breath as they watched him go. “Bloody hell, I thought the Teaboy was exaggerating when he said the boss wouldn't hear of it. Turns out he was understating it, the little blighter.”
Martha leaned back in her chair and tapped her chin with a fingernail. “Jack's scared.”
Owen laughed. “Harkness? He's never been scared of anything.”
Martha swatted Owen with a file. “He's scared of losing Ianto. He's scared what the Doctor told him was wrong.”
“Well, we could always do tests behind his back.”
Martha shook her head. “No. Two reasons. One, the CCTV would catch us, and Jack would know if we delete the footage, and two, Ianto would never go against Jack's express wishes.”
Owen sighed. “Well that's just bollocks then isn't it?” He pushed off Martha's desk and walked off.
“You're welcome!” Martha called out, smiling when Owen waved back.
~*~
Jack stormed back into the office he shared with Ianto, causing his lover to look up from his computer.
“Did you start this?” Jack demanded, pointing up at where Martha and Owen's desks were located in what used to be the hothouse.
Ianto frowned. “Start what? What on earth are you talking about?”
“Martha and Owen and their quest to find out if you're immortal?! I thought I told you-”
Ianto's eyes widened. “Their what?”
Jack stopped and stared at Ianto. He put his hands on his hips. “You really had nothing to do with it?”
Ianto sighed and saved what he was doing. He stood up and moved around his desk to perch on the edge of it.
“Jack, you said to drop it. Now, I may want to explore it, but right now you're not ready to. I respect that. So no, I didn't put them up to it. In fact, Owen brought it up to me.”
Jack's eyes narrowed. “What did you tell him?”
Ianto smirked a little. “That you had said to drop it, but he was more than welcome to discuss it with you if he wanted to lose his head. Oh, and he calls you 'Captain Flappy-Jacket'.” Ianto crossed his arms over his chest. “It's kind of cute, really.”
Jack considered the information. “I've had worse nicknames.”
Ianto chuckled. “I'm sure.” Jack moved closer, and Ianto reached out to pull him in closer to him, spreading his legs to give him room. “Did you yell at them?” His lover had the decency to look guilty. “Jack.”
“I... didn't yell. I commanded. As is my right as leader of this organisation.”
Ianto pulled back a little to look at him. “Oh, you have been spending way too much time with me, haven't you?”
Jack laughed. “There's no such thing as too much time with you.”
Ianto murmured his disagreement. “I was thinking of going to Newport this weekend to see Rhiannon and the kids since I have Saturday off.”
Jack paled. “I thought you were going to look at properties around here for us to move into?”
Ianto smiled. “Check your email. We have a viewing booked for tonight, and if we like it, we can sign on the dotted line. Apparently they're eager for a sale.”
Jack nodded slowly. “Can I go with you to see the kids? It's been awhile since I've seen Rhi. I've missed her.” Ianto hesitated, and Jack looked away.
“We leave early in the morning, okay?” Ianto asked. “David has a football game he wanted me there for.”
Jack grinned. “I can do early. I'll make sure the others know we're out for the day.” He leaned in and pressed his lips against Ianto's. “I love you,” he said softly, resting his forehead against his lover's. He closed his eyes and breathed in Ianto's scent, coffee, an earthy smell that was uniquely him and his cologne.
“I love you too, Jack.”
He lifted his head and looked down at Ianto. “Right. Show me this property that we're going to see tonight.”
Ianto lit up and pushed Jack back. “It's not at all what either of us were contemplating, but I think it fits everything that we're after,” Ianto ushered Jack over to his desk to sit down at his computer and log into his email. He showed him through what he had found and they started discussing their future.
It was moments like these that made Ianto wonder why Jack was so scared to find out if the Doctor was right or not. One way or another, he would find out the truth. He would just have to bide his time.
Next story in Time Verse is The Batcave