Torchwood: Torchwood One Archive 1/2
Apr. 19th, 2009 09:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gilascaveTitle: Torchwood One Archive 1/2
Author: James
Rating: PG-15
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Word Count: 11,500
Disclaimer: not mine, no profit made
Spoilers: only for the ending of S1. Set in a somewhat AUish timeline in early S2
Notes: I moved canon around a bit because I needed Martha, but wanted to avoid Dead!Owen angst. So I simply had her show up earlier for reasons unexplored. Cope. ;-) Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lianneb for the beta.
Summary: Jack has returned to Torchwood and to Ianto. Ianto is determined to make the best of it but he knows it won't last forever. Their time together threatens to get even shorter when the Doctor shows up unexpectedly.
Ianto wriggled backwards in the bed, smiling as his naked arse pressed up against Jack's groin. Jack snugged his arm more tightly around Ianto's chest, but groaned as if annoyed. "What, again?" he whispered, though it was obvious he was anything but annoyed.
"I'm just trying to get comfortable," Ianto said, grinning into the darkness of the bedroom. They'd shut out the lights in Jack's room -- an hour? two? -- before and there were no lights at all streaming down through the open hatchway.
"Go to sleep," Jack said in a sleepy voice, breath tickling Ianto's neck. But then Ianto laughed as Jack's tongue touched the tip of his ear.
"I thought you were sleepy," Ianto protested, making no effort to move away.
"I'm helping you get comfortable."
"Bollocks." Ianto closed his eyes -- then yelped as a hand squeezed his testicles.
"I can lick those, too, if you want." Jack sounded very much awake, but Ianto was surprised to find that certain parts of his anatomy were too tired to engage in Jack's suggestion -- normally they perked right up at the mere mention of Jack. Actually, most of his anatomy wanted a nice, long nap, as long as he didn't have to get out of bed and go home in order to do so.
He'd often slept the night in Jack's bed before. Before Jack left. When he'd returned, they'd slowly moved into some kind of relationship where they dated during the day, formally and somewhat awkwardly, and at night they had sex like old lovers who fit together like a hand in a glove. Or a hand in-between someone's legs, Ianto amended silently. He squeezed his thighs tight around Jack's hand, and Jack laughed softly.
Ianto had no idea what to make of this makeshift relationship. During the day, they were still finding their place with one another. But as soon as the clothes started coming off, it was as if Jack had never gone. He wondered sometimes if they were lying to themselves, and if so, which was the façade. Perhaps it didn't matter; it seemed like they were on their way to bringing the two parts of their lives together -- sex and emotion, he supposed it was. Acting like they were in love until they were, or acting like they weren't until it felt safe enough to admit what they'd been all along.
Ianto had no idea, and as Jack's fingers began inching their way up his stomach as if searching for clues, he found himself hoping they had time. Time for them to cement whatever it was, into whatever it should be, before-- Sometimes he thought himself cruel, letting Jack love him when Jack would outlive him by uncountable years. But who else would be able to love him, Ianto consoled himself, but a man who expected to lose his lover young?
Ianto turned in Jack's arms, surprising Jack but silencing him immediately with a kiss. He might be too worn out for sex, but had faith Jack would only take a slow response as a challenge. Ianto tried to hold himself back, fighting the sudden sense of urgency, but Jack was pulling at him, drawing him into a deeper kiss, encouraging the wild change in mood with hands and tongue and long, happy moans.
Ianto's head ached and he closed his eyes against the darkness of the room. He focused on the scent of their bodies, sweat and sex on the sheets, and the enthusiastic noises coming from Jack's throat, and pushed all thoughts away of anything -- everything -- else.
It would simply have to be enough time.
~~~
It was the third quiet day in a row when the door to the Tourist Office opened; Ianto looked up and sighed. The only thing which had been marring the day was the persistent buzz of a headache; now things were going to get a lot worse.
The Doctor stood inside the door of the tourist office grinning widely at him, looking for all the world as if nothing were wrong. Ianto stopped himself from flicking on the telly to catch the news; chances were he'd find out faster by just going downstairs.
With a still-friendly smile, the Doctor said, "Hello! Here I am." He looked exactly like the photo Martha had shown him, but that told Ianto nothing, really, about where in anyone's personal timeline the Doctor had come from. At least he wasn't shouting about invading aliens, Ianto mused. That meant they had at least a few minutes before disaster struck.
"Yes, sir," Ianto said, and waited. The Doctor continued to smile at him patiently, if expectantly. Then he quirked one eyebrow up as if to say, get on with it. Ianto frowned. "Were we expecting you?"
He didn't know whether or not to be frustrated with the lack of warning. Jack hadn't mentioned the Doctor's arrival and God knew he'd had enough chances; over the last week they'd barely been out of each other's sight for more than half an hour. Not that they hadn't been busy doing other things for most of that time; a quiet few days led to everyone else being sent home to enjoy a mid-week holiday while Jack and Ianto spent time at the Hub doing anything but working. Anything, everything, and a few things Ianto was fairly sure Jack had invented on the spot. But there had been conversation as well, and if Jack had wanted to alert Ianto that the Doctor would be arriving soon, he'd certainly had his chances.
The Doctor was looking at him, confused. "Aren't you? Isn't Martha here?"
"Yes, of course." Ianto nodded with a glimmer of relief. Perhaps Jack hadn't been the one responsible after all. "She's just downstairs." He paused, then asked, "Excuse me, but is the world about to end?"
The Doctor blinked. "Not that I'm aware of."
"Aliens attacking? Sun exploding? Gareth Jenkins is an alien?"
"No, no, and yes but it's no excuse for losing the match to Fiji."
"It does explain a few things about the rugby team, however," Ianto said, and stepped over to press the blue button that would open the door to the Hub. He didn't bother calling down -- even if Jack wasn't already watching the CCTV, Ianto was fairly sure the Doctor had standing permission to enter Jack's Torchwood base.
The Doctor gave him a happy grin and preceded Ianto towards the stairs. Ianto quickly locked up the Tourist Office and followed him down, hiding the concern he felt. Jack had only been returned for less than two months and the team was just settling in to something like a comfortable routine. Gwen had more or less returned control of the team to Jack and the team was more or less willing to follow Jack's orders again.
Professionally, Torchwood was doing fine and personally...Ianto didn't want to think about what the Doctor's return meant. As he walked down the long staircase, watching the back of the Doctor's head with as impassive an expression as he could manage, Ianto tried very hard not to think about it.
He and Jack had been on two actual dates since that night Jack had asked him and they'd resumed their sexual relationship with vigor. Ianto's legs were still sore from last night's vigor, and the long walk down the stairs now wasn't really helping any. Jack had offered to rub them that morning when Ianto had moaned about it before crawling out of Jack's bed; at the moment Ianto was regretting turning him down.
That won't get the coffee made," Ianto had said, smiling and enjoying a leisurely kiss before freeing himself from his lover's grip. Jack had laughed as Ianto climbed up the ladder wearing only a pair of socks. Coffee and a bit of a lie-in had made the day seem just about perfect.
Two hours later and his world was about to be turned upside-down.
He didn't say a word as they finally reached the bottom, waiting as the cog door rolled open. Ianto followed the Doctor into the Hub proper, not bothering to announce their arrival. Two steps in and he heard Martha's happy voice shout, "Doctor!"
Ianto watched as Martha greeted the Doctor with an enthusiastic hug; moments later she stepped back and Jack was there beside them. Ianto couldn't tell if it was his imagination, or if Jack hesitated before stepping up and collecting a hello hug of his own.
"What brings you here?" Jack asked, his joyous smile fading to a look of concern. "We're not about to be under attack are we?"
"No, no -- what is it with you people, always assuming there's some galaxy-wide disaster on hand just because I make an appearance?" The Doctor sounded relaxed, but Ianto kept his attention on Jack. It was clear by his body language that Jack wasn't convinced. Ianto moved down the stairs a bit, edging slightly closer, ready to grab...whatever would end up being needed once the Doctor explained his visit.
"Because we know you," Martha was saying, though from what Ianto could tell, she wasn't as worried as Jack was. "Now what's going on?" She narrowed her eyes, poking one finger at the Doctor's chest.
"I'm here because you asked me," the Doctor said, and Ianto saw both Jack and Martha's eyes go wide.
"We did?" Jack asked.
Ianto moved closer, walking around to stand just behind Tosh's workstation. He could see the Doctor's profile now, see the satisfied, happy grin on the Doctor's face as he explained, "Martha did. Sent me a text message, asking me to come pick her up for her birthday. And here I am!"
Martha and Jack exchanged a look, then Martha said, "I haven't sent you any text message, Doctor. And my birthday isn't for another five months."
The Doctor looked at her in what Ianto thought might have been genuine surprise. "Five months? This isn't December?"
"It's July," Jack said. "2008," he added after only a slight hesitation.
"Ah. Oops? Well, you will send me a text, asking me to come around. Still, I got the right year anyway. So, how about it? Dinner, dancing, Morifrair Nebula?" He rubbed his hands together briskly in anticipation.
With a laugh, Martha said, "You really just came around to take me out for my birthday? Really?"
The Doctor shrugged, and Ianto still watched Jack's face. It had closed off, ever so slightly and Ianto couldn't guess as to the reason behind it. The Doctor said, "Why not? Even if it isn't technically your birthday yet; here I am, here you are, and there the Morifrair Nebula is, just waiting for a good excuse to have a good time."
"Don't jinx it," Martha scolded him. "And yes, I'd love to! As long as we're back here today! I've got a lot of work to do." She looked over at Jack. "Although perhaps if I take you with me, I won't have to worry about missing half a day of work."
Jack's eyebrows went up in a look of surprise. He started to smile; Ianto held himself tightly. He kept himself still as Jack said, "I'd love to," but he spoke with a tentativeness Ianto had rarely heard from him. Captain Jack Harkness simply didn't do hesitation or self-doubt.
In fact, the only time Ianto could remember hearing that particular tone before was in an office late at night, Jack leaning towards him from across the room to ask him oh so carefully on a date. He didn't understand what was causing that tone now, but Ianto could feel his heart racing. He gripped the edge of the worktable, fully aware of how none of them had so much as glanced over his way.
There was a silent moment of time that seemed to stretch out forever and Ianto could just begin to see something dark appear in Jack's eyes. Then the Doctor clapped Jack easily on the arm and said, "Of course! If you want to. More the merrier!"
With an obvious look of relief, Jack laughed. "Dinner and dancing at the Morifrair Nebula? Wait -- what century?" He gave the Doctor a suspicious look, but Ianto could see the teasing behind it. He told himself to breathe, but he wasn't sure it was working. His headache was pounding harder.
"42nd century, of course," the Doctor replied, sounding affronted, but it was clear he knew he was being teased.
"Oh, I am so in," Jack said, leaning back and clapping his hands together. He and Martha exchanged delighted grins and Ianto's grip on the table edge tightened. The three of them looked so comfortable together.
"So you'll be gone the day, then?"
They turned towards Gwen who was standing halfway across the main area. Ianto was struck by how closely the other three were standing, like they were inside a police box that wasn't bigger on the inside. He had a brief image of the TARDIS being, in fact, just that small inside despite everything he'd heard or read and had to stifle a laugh.
But Gwen was looking at Jack with a distinctly unamused expression. Arms folded in front of her, glaring at Jack and making it clear her displeasure was all for him alone.
"We'll be back this afternoon," Martha began, but subsided as Gwen didn't so much as glance her way.
"At least he's telling us," Ianto found himself saying, shocked at his words and focusing on Gwen, carefully avoiding looking over at Jack. Gwen met his eyes and he found a sense of horrible relief that she understood how he felt.
"I'm coming back," Jack began. "It's one night."
It was unfair of them, Ianto knew. What little Jack had said about his last trip with the Doctor, it was still clear to Ianto that Jack had made his decision to return to Cardiff. Ianto had gathered that things had not been as rosy and wonderful with the Doctor as Jack had been hoping, and certainly he had seemed content to rebuild his life here, with Torchwood Three. And himself.
At least it had been clear before the Doctor returned and Jack suddenly had that look on his face. The appeal of 21st century Earth had to pale against the chance to travel with the Doctor one more time. Ianto couldn't fight the fear burning deep inside him that it would be a mistake to let Jack walk out of there with the Doctor. The fact the Doctor was five months off from a simple birthday was evidence enough that being gone for only one night, one morning, was anything but a certainty.
Jack was staring at him and Ianto tried to meet his gaze calmly. "Do you want me not to go?" Jack asked and Ianto felt his mouth drop open.
Seconds ticked and he knew he could say it. Would Jack really stay, if he asked? Should he?
But even as he formed the question in his mind, Ianto shook his head. He had no claims on Jack Harkness -- none that would forbid him from what should, by rights, be a simple thing. A night out for a friend's birthday, and forget for the moment it was to another galaxy and another century. "It's all right," he said, grateful his voice didn't shake. He ignored the worry screaming in his ear that Jack might not return. That'd he'd discover he'd made a mistake in giving up the universe and all of time to stay in Cardiff. Ianto stuffed down the voice that asked what he had to compare to such marvels, to entice Jack into coming back. He'd fought it often enough in Jack's absence, drowned it in work and drink and things he had hoped one day he could confess to Jack and seek forgiveness for.
"Go, have your fun," Ianto said, forcing himself to sound perfectly fine despite the way Jack's eyes narrowed at him as if he knew exactly what Ianto was feeling. He tried to smile, let him know it really was all right, but he couldn't quite manage it.
Martha gave a huff of breath. "Oh for -- Doctor, why don't we just bring them with us? It's my birthday we're celebrating. I can invite friends to my birthday dinner."
Ianto and Gwen stared at her. Jack's eyes had gone wide again, looking at the Doctor like he was afraid to say a word to help convince him. The Doctor looked around at all of them and Ianto saw Gwen taking a silent, deep breath.
"Besides," Martha continued breezily, "If we don't take Ianto with us, Jack will just spend the whole evening pining."
Jack looked surprised. "I don't pine-"
"Oh, please," Martha interrupted. "You were pining the whole time we were traveling." She waved a hand. "You even scratched yours and his initials into the TARDIS' wall."
"I didn't!" Jack protested, sounding...not nearly as scandalised as Ianto thought he would have if he hadn't actually done so.
"You did what?" the Doctor demanded, but Ianto was suddenly not paying him any attention. Jack tried to brush off Martha's words, but halfway through his eyes met Ianto's, and Ianto could see his words fairly stutter to a stop. Ianto tried not to grin.
"Pining for me?" he asked, cheekily as he could against the loop-de-loop of emotion that was hitting him.
Jack shrugged casually, but the look on his face was anything but. "Maybe," was all he said, but his smile was saying something else. Ianto started to accept the invitation when he realised -- there hadn't been one, yet. He looked to the Doctor.
The Doctor just smiled, slowly. "Well, we don't want Jack pining, do we? Come on, then, both of you. All of you -- let's be off!"
Ianto saw Gwen jump, running past him for her own workstation. "What about Tosh and Owen?" she asked him, keeping her voice low.
"Owen's still got the flu," Ianto said. "I don't think he'd want an alien dinner."
"Tosh is just pulling into the parking garage," Jack said, directly behind them making them both jump. "We'll collect her on the way out." He turned, looked over at the Doctor and Ianto could see a question, or perhaps an apology, on Jack's face. But the Doctor just smiled once more.
"You'll be paying the tab, Captain."
Jack laughed, and the sound made Ianto slip his hand into Jack's. "I'll be glad to," Jack said, as his fingers tightened on Ianto's.
"At least this way he won't be flirting with everything that moves," Martha said.
"Of course he will," Ianto told her, not making the slightest effort to pull his hand free. "And at the most inappropriate times."
He ignored Jack's attempts to protest this -- they all did, as Gwen gathered her purse and jacket and Ianto switched the Hub's automatic systems to 'empty nest.' He really had no idea when the Doctor would have them back, whether a few hours as promised or a few months as Ianto secretly suspected. He gave the Hub a quick glance, found Jack watching him with a distinctly amused expression.
"Everything's in order, sir," he said carefully.
"What have I told you about calling me 'sir'?" Jack asked, as they headed for the stairs.
Ianto faked reading off a mental list. "Only when we're off-duty, alone, and you've already tied--" He stopped as Jack's glare sharpened, ignoring Gwen and Martha's stifled laughter. Ianto gave Jack an unperturbed smile and wasn't surprised at all when Jack kissed him.
Perhaps the day would turn out rather well, after all.
~~~
Convincing Tosh to join them hadn't been difficult; Ianto surmised it was because they'd only said 'Come with us,' and none of them had actually thought to say it was for dinner, not an emergency. Once inside, Tosh and Gwen had stood just inside the TARDIS doors, staring up and around at everything for several long moments. Privately, Ianto had bet Gwen would say it first, but Tosh had been the one to finally observe that it was larger on the inside.
Martha had taken the girls in hand for a quick orientation of the TARDIS' consoles and displays, inviting Ianto to join them but he'd found he preferred remaining by Jack's side and watching from a distance. He finally found himself beginning to relax, hand still closed in Jack's.
"You didn't seem very surprised," Jack said, drawing him away to the side of the room until they were more or less alone. Jack had initially invited Ianto to go on a 'private tour' but Ianto knew that look quite well and had turned him down.
"Plenty of time for that later," he'd said, and Jack had only leered.
"Torchwood One had quite the file on the TARDIS," Ianto said, looking around the room again as he answered Jack's question. "There weren't any photos, of course, but there was rather a lot of detail. The Archive is quite...crammed full of stuff about the TARDIS." He tried not to actively think about the information in the Archive, not wanting to get distracted. Seeing the TARDIS in person trumped anything that would be in the Torchwood files at any rate.
He didn't want to admit that he, too, felt like staring with his mouth gaping open like Gwen and Toshiko, but he wanted to maintain a little bit of dignity. For now -- he seemed to always lose his dignity whenever Jack started removing his clothing and he suspected that would happen before the day was over. He didn't really think he could be blamed for that one weakness, however.
Ianto rubbed one finger absently alongside his temple; he'd neglected earlier to grab a paracetamol for his headache, though he knew from experience it would barely have an effect. The look on Jack's face was enough to banish any concern for his headache; Ianto watched him for a moment, enjoying the sheer delight on his lover's face.
How Jack had ever been able to give this up, he couldn't imagine. Ianto knew, somehow, that he shouldn't ask. He opened his mouth to tease Jack about the expression on his face, and instead he just leaned forward and gave Jack a kiss. "This will be our third real date," he said, when Jack finally let him come up for air.
"I'm not sure how I'm going to top this one." Jack gave him a slightly-screwed up smile. "I should have thought of that before accepting the Doctor's invitation."
"You've never had a problem topping before," Ianto said, pleased at the way Jack's laugh seemed to jolt right out of him. Ianto found himself being pulled in close, pressed tightly against Jack. It was, he had to admit, one of his favorite places to be.
"Oh yes, this is clearly better," the Doctor said, from somewhere behind them. Ianto glanced over, and the Doctor made a shooing motion as he moved over, pointing at one of the displays Martha had been explaining. He said something to Toshiko, then looked back up at he and Jack. "At least I won't have to keep him from flirting with all the visiting dignitaries who will end up either marrying him to their offspring, or arresting him for crimes against the throne. Or both."
Ianto frowned at Jack, who tried to look blameless. "I never...once, but it wasn't...hey, Ianto, why don't I show you whatever bedroom pops up first?"
"Won't we be arriving at the Morifrair Nebula soon?"
"We'll be landing in five minutes," the Doctor said. "But I'm afraid I haven't put us on the waiting list for dinner."
"So we have a couple hours," Jack said, and that grin slowly appeared. That grin went directly to the base of Ianto's spine and made his nerve endings feel things he wasn't sure 21st century humans were meant to feel. Jack stepped back and tugged on Ianto's hand. "Come on. I bet the TARDIS gives us a bedroom less than five steps away from the control room."
"You're saying the TARDIS approves of sex?" Ianto asked, and he found himself distracted even as Jack tugged him out of the control room. He'd read the files on the TARDIS, of course. Seen all the transcripts and videos of interviews, seen the drawings and conjectured architectural blueprints. He knew how the TARDIS re-arranged itself according to some whim that apparently only the TARDIS was aware of. Jack himself had told Ianto about losing his bedroom on one occasion, wandering the hallways while alternatively flirting with and begging the TARDIS to just give him something he could lie down on. He'd ended up at Rose's room, and Jack had never satisfactorily finished that story.
"I think the TARDIS likes the Doctor well enough to give him what he wants, and he knows that we'll end up having sex in the hallway if we don't find a bedroom quickly." Jack pulled him down the hallway, and Ianto counted the steps.
"I heard that!" the Doctor called after them. "And you're exactly right!"
It was six steps before a door opened. Jack grinned and said, "She doesn't like being predictable, either." Then he drew Ianto inside and there was just enough time to see a normal-looking bedroom, with a normal bed in the center, before Jack was kissing him again.
~~~
"It's about time," Martha said as Ianto followed Jack into the control room. He'd decided not to be bothered by the fact they'd walked nearly five times as far to get back to the control room as they'd gone to get to it. He'd spent the entire walk back fending off Jack's wandering hands, and he gave his suit jacket one more tug to make sure he looked presentable despite Jack's best efforts to rumple him.
"Some things can't be rushed," Jack said, and Ianto was once again grateful he didn't blush easily.
"Have we been called to our table?" Ianto asked, still trying to -- or pretend that he as trying to -- ignore Jack's hand tugging at his jacket button. He caught sight of Toshiko, bent over one of the TARDIS' displays, and held back a smile. They might not be able to get her out of the TARDIS long enough for her to eat dinner.
"I called ahead," the Doctor said, nodding. He leaned over and said to Tosh, "That's the multi-translucent-harmonisation-calibrator."
Tosh's eyes went wide, and Ianto made a mental note to get her carry-out. Then he frowned. "Did you just make that up?"
"Of course not!" The Doctor looked mildly offended. Then he shrugged. "Simplified it a bit. Ape brains, you lot. Still, does the trick. Come on, dinner's waiting!"
Ianto turned his confused scowl to Jack, who just grinned and gave him an apologetic shrug. "You get used to it," Jack said. Then Jack tugged Ianto's hand, and reached over to take a hold of Toshiko's hand, dragging her away from the console. "You can stare at it on the trip back," he promised her.
"I'm really not hungry," she said, letting herself be pulled but not looking away from the displays. "I had breakfast half an hour ago. I could wait here--"
"You're coming with us," Martha said, intervening by taking Toshiko's other hand. "We'll find you someone to dance with and work up an appetite." She stopped and scowled at Jack. "I don't mean like that."
"What? I didn't say anything."
"No, but you were thinking it," Ianto told him. He headed for the door where Gwen and the Doctor were waiting, tugging Jack after him. "You're always thinking it." He gave Jack a smile over his shoulder -- and caught Jack's eyes focused downward. "You can look at my arse while I dance with Gwen and Toshiko," he offered. Jack beamed at him and Ianto rolled his eyes. "I did mean one at a time, you know."
Turning away from him, Ianto stepped through the doorway into whatever dinner and dancing experience was waiting for them...and stopped. Gwen and the Doctor were standing in a hallway, looking around. Gwen didn't seem exactly impressed. Ianto had to admit, he agreed with the look on her face.
"All right, where are we?" Martha asked. Ianto glanced back to see her hands on her hips, glaring at the Doctor. Behind her, Toshiko was looking around her, almost managing to hide her disappointment behind a polite expression of interest.
"We're at the Morifrair Nebula! I checked when we landed!" The Doctor looked put out as he strode over to a blank screen hanging on the otherwise blank wall. They watched as he took out his sonic screwdriver and turned the screen on. Ianto couldn't make sense of the data, or even the alphabet, that appeared -- his first and so far only clue that they'd landed someplace alien. Suddenly the Doctor frowned. "Oh. Well, that would explain it."
"Explain what?" Martha demanded.
The Doctor turned around and tried smiling at them all. In Ianto's opinion, it didn't seem very reassuring. "We've landed at the Rifin Lad Hub in Sector Four of the Morifrair Nebula. Exactly as I'd planned. But in 4491, instead of 4194. The place has been deserted for years by now!" The Doctor grinned as though missing by nearly three hundred years was no big deal. He glanced at the walls, sliding on fingertip down the spot nearest him. "Nice to see the place hasn't gone under with dust and corrosion."
"Doctor, you said dinner and dancing." Martha glared at him.
"And we will! We'll just get back on the TARDIS and go back a bit. That would explain why no one confirmed my dinner reservation," he added, thoughtfully.
"Right." Martha grabbed the Doctor by the arm -- and Jack held up a hand. He was looking at his wristband.
"I'm reading a single life form."
~~~
continued in part two
Author: James
Rating: PG-15
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Word Count: 11,500
Disclaimer: not mine, no profit made
Spoilers: only for the ending of S1. Set in a somewhat AUish timeline in early S2
Notes: I moved canon around a bit because I needed Martha, but wanted to avoid Dead!Owen angst. So I simply had her show up earlier for reasons unexplored. Cope. ;-) Many thanks to
lianneb for the beta.Summary: Jack has returned to Torchwood and to Ianto. Ianto is determined to make the best of it but he knows it won't last forever. Their time together threatens to get even shorter when the Doctor shows up unexpectedly.
Ianto wriggled backwards in the bed, smiling as his naked arse pressed up against Jack's groin. Jack snugged his arm more tightly around Ianto's chest, but groaned as if annoyed. "What, again?" he whispered, though it was obvious he was anything but annoyed.
"I'm just trying to get comfortable," Ianto said, grinning into the darkness of the bedroom. They'd shut out the lights in Jack's room -- an hour? two? -- before and there were no lights at all streaming down through the open hatchway.
"Go to sleep," Jack said in a sleepy voice, breath tickling Ianto's neck. But then Ianto laughed as Jack's tongue touched the tip of his ear.
"I thought you were sleepy," Ianto protested, making no effort to move away.
"I'm helping you get comfortable."
"Bollocks." Ianto closed his eyes -- then yelped as a hand squeezed his testicles.
"I can lick those, too, if you want." Jack sounded very much awake, but Ianto was surprised to find that certain parts of his anatomy were too tired to engage in Jack's suggestion -- normally they perked right up at the mere mention of Jack. Actually, most of his anatomy wanted a nice, long nap, as long as he didn't have to get out of bed and go home in order to do so.
He'd often slept the night in Jack's bed before. Before Jack left. When he'd returned, they'd slowly moved into some kind of relationship where they dated during the day, formally and somewhat awkwardly, and at night they had sex like old lovers who fit together like a hand in a glove. Or a hand in-between someone's legs, Ianto amended silently. He squeezed his thighs tight around Jack's hand, and Jack laughed softly.
Ianto had no idea what to make of this makeshift relationship. During the day, they were still finding their place with one another. But as soon as the clothes started coming off, it was as if Jack had never gone. He wondered sometimes if they were lying to themselves, and if so, which was the façade. Perhaps it didn't matter; it seemed like they were on their way to bringing the two parts of their lives together -- sex and emotion, he supposed it was. Acting like they were in love until they were, or acting like they weren't until it felt safe enough to admit what they'd been all along.
Ianto had no idea, and as Jack's fingers began inching their way up his stomach as if searching for clues, he found himself hoping they had time. Time for them to cement whatever it was, into whatever it should be, before-- Sometimes he thought himself cruel, letting Jack love him when Jack would outlive him by uncountable years. But who else would be able to love him, Ianto consoled himself, but a man who expected to lose his lover young?
Ianto turned in Jack's arms, surprising Jack but silencing him immediately with a kiss. He might be too worn out for sex, but had faith Jack would only take a slow response as a challenge. Ianto tried to hold himself back, fighting the sudden sense of urgency, but Jack was pulling at him, drawing him into a deeper kiss, encouraging the wild change in mood with hands and tongue and long, happy moans.
Ianto's head ached and he closed his eyes against the darkness of the room. He focused on the scent of their bodies, sweat and sex on the sheets, and the enthusiastic noises coming from Jack's throat, and pushed all thoughts away of anything -- everything -- else.
It would simply have to be enough time.
~~~
It was the third quiet day in a row when the door to the Tourist Office opened; Ianto looked up and sighed. The only thing which had been marring the day was the persistent buzz of a headache; now things were going to get a lot worse.
The Doctor stood inside the door of the tourist office grinning widely at him, looking for all the world as if nothing were wrong. Ianto stopped himself from flicking on the telly to catch the news; chances were he'd find out faster by just going downstairs.
With a still-friendly smile, the Doctor said, "Hello! Here I am." He looked exactly like the photo Martha had shown him, but that told Ianto nothing, really, about where in anyone's personal timeline the Doctor had come from. At least he wasn't shouting about invading aliens, Ianto mused. That meant they had at least a few minutes before disaster struck.
"Yes, sir," Ianto said, and waited. The Doctor continued to smile at him patiently, if expectantly. Then he quirked one eyebrow up as if to say, get on with it. Ianto frowned. "Were we expecting you?"
He didn't know whether or not to be frustrated with the lack of warning. Jack hadn't mentioned the Doctor's arrival and God knew he'd had enough chances; over the last week they'd barely been out of each other's sight for more than half an hour. Not that they hadn't been busy doing other things for most of that time; a quiet few days led to everyone else being sent home to enjoy a mid-week holiday while Jack and Ianto spent time at the Hub doing anything but working. Anything, everything, and a few things Ianto was fairly sure Jack had invented on the spot. But there had been conversation as well, and if Jack had wanted to alert Ianto that the Doctor would be arriving soon, he'd certainly had his chances.
The Doctor was looking at him, confused. "Aren't you? Isn't Martha here?"
"Yes, of course." Ianto nodded with a glimmer of relief. Perhaps Jack hadn't been the one responsible after all. "She's just downstairs." He paused, then asked, "Excuse me, but is the world about to end?"
The Doctor blinked. "Not that I'm aware of."
"Aliens attacking? Sun exploding? Gareth Jenkins is an alien?"
"No, no, and yes but it's no excuse for losing the match to Fiji."
"It does explain a few things about the rugby team, however," Ianto said, and stepped over to press the blue button that would open the door to the Hub. He didn't bother calling down -- even if Jack wasn't already watching the CCTV, Ianto was fairly sure the Doctor had standing permission to enter Jack's Torchwood base.
The Doctor gave him a happy grin and preceded Ianto towards the stairs. Ianto quickly locked up the Tourist Office and followed him down, hiding the concern he felt. Jack had only been returned for less than two months and the team was just settling in to something like a comfortable routine. Gwen had more or less returned control of the team to Jack and the team was more or less willing to follow Jack's orders again.
Professionally, Torchwood was doing fine and personally...Ianto didn't want to think about what the Doctor's return meant. As he walked down the long staircase, watching the back of the Doctor's head with as impassive an expression as he could manage, Ianto tried very hard not to think about it.
He and Jack had been on two actual dates since that night Jack had asked him and they'd resumed their sexual relationship with vigor. Ianto's legs were still sore from last night's vigor, and the long walk down the stairs now wasn't really helping any. Jack had offered to rub them that morning when Ianto had moaned about it before crawling out of Jack's bed; at the moment Ianto was regretting turning him down.
That won't get the coffee made," Ianto had said, smiling and enjoying a leisurely kiss before freeing himself from his lover's grip. Jack had laughed as Ianto climbed up the ladder wearing only a pair of socks. Coffee and a bit of a lie-in had made the day seem just about perfect.
Two hours later and his world was about to be turned upside-down.
He didn't say a word as they finally reached the bottom, waiting as the cog door rolled open. Ianto followed the Doctor into the Hub proper, not bothering to announce their arrival. Two steps in and he heard Martha's happy voice shout, "Doctor!"
Ianto watched as Martha greeted the Doctor with an enthusiastic hug; moments later she stepped back and Jack was there beside them. Ianto couldn't tell if it was his imagination, or if Jack hesitated before stepping up and collecting a hello hug of his own.
"What brings you here?" Jack asked, his joyous smile fading to a look of concern. "We're not about to be under attack are we?"
"No, no -- what is it with you people, always assuming there's some galaxy-wide disaster on hand just because I make an appearance?" The Doctor sounded relaxed, but Ianto kept his attention on Jack. It was clear by his body language that Jack wasn't convinced. Ianto moved down the stairs a bit, edging slightly closer, ready to grab...whatever would end up being needed once the Doctor explained his visit.
"Because we know you," Martha was saying, though from what Ianto could tell, she wasn't as worried as Jack was. "Now what's going on?" She narrowed her eyes, poking one finger at the Doctor's chest.
"I'm here because you asked me," the Doctor said, and Ianto saw both Jack and Martha's eyes go wide.
"We did?" Jack asked.
Ianto moved closer, walking around to stand just behind Tosh's workstation. He could see the Doctor's profile now, see the satisfied, happy grin on the Doctor's face as he explained, "Martha did. Sent me a text message, asking me to come pick her up for her birthday. And here I am!"
Martha and Jack exchanged a look, then Martha said, "I haven't sent you any text message, Doctor. And my birthday isn't for another five months."
The Doctor looked at her in what Ianto thought might have been genuine surprise. "Five months? This isn't December?"
"It's July," Jack said. "2008," he added after only a slight hesitation.
"Ah. Oops? Well, you will send me a text, asking me to come around. Still, I got the right year anyway. So, how about it? Dinner, dancing, Morifrair Nebula?" He rubbed his hands together briskly in anticipation.
With a laugh, Martha said, "You really just came around to take me out for my birthday? Really?"
The Doctor shrugged, and Ianto still watched Jack's face. It had closed off, ever so slightly and Ianto couldn't guess as to the reason behind it. The Doctor said, "Why not? Even if it isn't technically your birthday yet; here I am, here you are, and there the Morifrair Nebula is, just waiting for a good excuse to have a good time."
"Don't jinx it," Martha scolded him. "And yes, I'd love to! As long as we're back here today! I've got a lot of work to do." She looked over at Jack. "Although perhaps if I take you with me, I won't have to worry about missing half a day of work."
Jack's eyebrows went up in a look of surprise. He started to smile; Ianto held himself tightly. He kept himself still as Jack said, "I'd love to," but he spoke with a tentativeness Ianto had rarely heard from him. Captain Jack Harkness simply didn't do hesitation or self-doubt.
In fact, the only time Ianto could remember hearing that particular tone before was in an office late at night, Jack leaning towards him from across the room to ask him oh so carefully on a date. He didn't understand what was causing that tone now, but Ianto could feel his heart racing. He gripped the edge of the worktable, fully aware of how none of them had so much as glanced over his way.
There was a silent moment of time that seemed to stretch out forever and Ianto could just begin to see something dark appear in Jack's eyes. Then the Doctor clapped Jack easily on the arm and said, "Of course! If you want to. More the merrier!"
With an obvious look of relief, Jack laughed. "Dinner and dancing at the Morifrair Nebula? Wait -- what century?" He gave the Doctor a suspicious look, but Ianto could see the teasing behind it. He told himself to breathe, but he wasn't sure it was working. His headache was pounding harder.
"42nd century, of course," the Doctor replied, sounding affronted, but it was clear he knew he was being teased.
"Oh, I am so in," Jack said, leaning back and clapping his hands together. He and Martha exchanged delighted grins and Ianto's grip on the table edge tightened. The three of them looked so comfortable together.
"So you'll be gone the day, then?"
They turned towards Gwen who was standing halfway across the main area. Ianto was struck by how closely the other three were standing, like they were inside a police box that wasn't bigger on the inside. He had a brief image of the TARDIS being, in fact, just that small inside despite everything he'd heard or read and had to stifle a laugh.
But Gwen was looking at Jack with a distinctly unamused expression. Arms folded in front of her, glaring at Jack and making it clear her displeasure was all for him alone.
"We'll be back this afternoon," Martha began, but subsided as Gwen didn't so much as glance her way.
"At least he's telling us," Ianto found himself saying, shocked at his words and focusing on Gwen, carefully avoiding looking over at Jack. Gwen met his eyes and he found a sense of horrible relief that she understood how he felt.
"I'm coming back," Jack began. "It's one night."
It was unfair of them, Ianto knew. What little Jack had said about his last trip with the Doctor, it was still clear to Ianto that Jack had made his decision to return to Cardiff. Ianto had gathered that things had not been as rosy and wonderful with the Doctor as Jack had been hoping, and certainly he had seemed content to rebuild his life here, with Torchwood Three. And himself.
At least it had been clear before the Doctor returned and Jack suddenly had that look on his face. The appeal of 21st century Earth had to pale against the chance to travel with the Doctor one more time. Ianto couldn't fight the fear burning deep inside him that it would be a mistake to let Jack walk out of there with the Doctor. The fact the Doctor was five months off from a simple birthday was evidence enough that being gone for only one night, one morning, was anything but a certainty.
Jack was staring at him and Ianto tried to meet his gaze calmly. "Do you want me not to go?" Jack asked and Ianto felt his mouth drop open.
Seconds ticked and he knew he could say it. Would Jack really stay, if he asked? Should he?
But even as he formed the question in his mind, Ianto shook his head. He had no claims on Jack Harkness -- none that would forbid him from what should, by rights, be a simple thing. A night out for a friend's birthday, and forget for the moment it was to another galaxy and another century. "It's all right," he said, grateful his voice didn't shake. He ignored the worry screaming in his ear that Jack might not return. That'd he'd discover he'd made a mistake in giving up the universe and all of time to stay in Cardiff. Ianto stuffed down the voice that asked what he had to compare to such marvels, to entice Jack into coming back. He'd fought it often enough in Jack's absence, drowned it in work and drink and things he had hoped one day he could confess to Jack and seek forgiveness for.
"Go, have your fun," Ianto said, forcing himself to sound perfectly fine despite the way Jack's eyes narrowed at him as if he knew exactly what Ianto was feeling. He tried to smile, let him know it really was all right, but he couldn't quite manage it.
Martha gave a huff of breath. "Oh for -- Doctor, why don't we just bring them with us? It's my birthday we're celebrating. I can invite friends to my birthday dinner."
Ianto and Gwen stared at her. Jack's eyes had gone wide again, looking at the Doctor like he was afraid to say a word to help convince him. The Doctor looked around at all of them and Ianto saw Gwen taking a silent, deep breath.
"Besides," Martha continued breezily, "If we don't take Ianto with us, Jack will just spend the whole evening pining."
Jack looked surprised. "I don't pine-"
"Oh, please," Martha interrupted. "You were pining the whole time we were traveling." She waved a hand. "You even scratched yours and his initials into the TARDIS' wall."
"I didn't!" Jack protested, sounding...not nearly as scandalised as Ianto thought he would have if he hadn't actually done so.
"You did what?" the Doctor demanded, but Ianto was suddenly not paying him any attention. Jack tried to brush off Martha's words, but halfway through his eyes met Ianto's, and Ianto could see his words fairly stutter to a stop. Ianto tried not to grin.
"Pining for me?" he asked, cheekily as he could against the loop-de-loop of emotion that was hitting him.
Jack shrugged casually, but the look on his face was anything but. "Maybe," was all he said, but his smile was saying something else. Ianto started to accept the invitation when he realised -- there hadn't been one, yet. He looked to the Doctor.
The Doctor just smiled, slowly. "Well, we don't want Jack pining, do we? Come on, then, both of you. All of you -- let's be off!"
Ianto saw Gwen jump, running past him for her own workstation. "What about Tosh and Owen?" she asked him, keeping her voice low.
"Owen's still got the flu," Ianto said. "I don't think he'd want an alien dinner."
"Tosh is just pulling into the parking garage," Jack said, directly behind them making them both jump. "We'll collect her on the way out." He turned, looked over at the Doctor and Ianto could see a question, or perhaps an apology, on Jack's face. But the Doctor just smiled once more.
"You'll be paying the tab, Captain."
Jack laughed, and the sound made Ianto slip his hand into Jack's. "I'll be glad to," Jack said, as his fingers tightened on Ianto's.
"At least this way he won't be flirting with everything that moves," Martha said.
"Of course he will," Ianto told her, not making the slightest effort to pull his hand free. "And at the most inappropriate times."
He ignored Jack's attempts to protest this -- they all did, as Gwen gathered her purse and jacket and Ianto switched the Hub's automatic systems to 'empty nest.' He really had no idea when the Doctor would have them back, whether a few hours as promised or a few months as Ianto secretly suspected. He gave the Hub a quick glance, found Jack watching him with a distinctly amused expression.
"Everything's in order, sir," he said carefully.
"What have I told you about calling me 'sir'?" Jack asked, as they headed for the stairs.
Ianto faked reading off a mental list. "Only when we're off-duty, alone, and you've already tied--" He stopped as Jack's glare sharpened, ignoring Gwen and Martha's stifled laughter. Ianto gave Jack an unperturbed smile and wasn't surprised at all when Jack kissed him.
Perhaps the day would turn out rather well, after all.
~~~
Convincing Tosh to join them hadn't been difficult; Ianto surmised it was because they'd only said 'Come with us,' and none of them had actually thought to say it was for dinner, not an emergency. Once inside, Tosh and Gwen had stood just inside the TARDIS doors, staring up and around at everything for several long moments. Privately, Ianto had bet Gwen would say it first, but Tosh had been the one to finally observe that it was larger on the inside.
Martha had taken the girls in hand for a quick orientation of the TARDIS' consoles and displays, inviting Ianto to join them but he'd found he preferred remaining by Jack's side and watching from a distance. He finally found himself beginning to relax, hand still closed in Jack's.
"You didn't seem very surprised," Jack said, drawing him away to the side of the room until they were more or less alone. Jack had initially invited Ianto to go on a 'private tour' but Ianto knew that look quite well and had turned him down.
"Plenty of time for that later," he'd said, and Jack had only leered.
"Torchwood One had quite the file on the TARDIS," Ianto said, looking around the room again as he answered Jack's question. "There weren't any photos, of course, but there was rather a lot of detail. The Archive is quite...crammed full of stuff about the TARDIS." He tried not to actively think about the information in the Archive, not wanting to get distracted. Seeing the TARDIS in person trumped anything that would be in the Torchwood files at any rate.
He didn't want to admit that he, too, felt like staring with his mouth gaping open like Gwen and Toshiko, but he wanted to maintain a little bit of dignity. For now -- he seemed to always lose his dignity whenever Jack started removing his clothing and he suspected that would happen before the day was over. He didn't really think he could be blamed for that one weakness, however.
Ianto rubbed one finger absently alongside his temple; he'd neglected earlier to grab a paracetamol for his headache, though he knew from experience it would barely have an effect. The look on Jack's face was enough to banish any concern for his headache; Ianto watched him for a moment, enjoying the sheer delight on his lover's face.
How Jack had ever been able to give this up, he couldn't imagine. Ianto knew, somehow, that he shouldn't ask. He opened his mouth to tease Jack about the expression on his face, and instead he just leaned forward and gave Jack a kiss. "This will be our third real date," he said, when Jack finally let him come up for air.
"I'm not sure how I'm going to top this one." Jack gave him a slightly-screwed up smile. "I should have thought of that before accepting the Doctor's invitation."
"You've never had a problem topping before," Ianto said, pleased at the way Jack's laugh seemed to jolt right out of him. Ianto found himself being pulled in close, pressed tightly against Jack. It was, he had to admit, one of his favorite places to be.
"Oh yes, this is clearly better," the Doctor said, from somewhere behind them. Ianto glanced over, and the Doctor made a shooing motion as he moved over, pointing at one of the displays Martha had been explaining. He said something to Toshiko, then looked back up at he and Jack. "At least I won't have to keep him from flirting with all the visiting dignitaries who will end up either marrying him to their offspring, or arresting him for crimes against the throne. Or both."
Ianto frowned at Jack, who tried to look blameless. "I never...once, but it wasn't...hey, Ianto, why don't I show you whatever bedroom pops up first?"
"Won't we be arriving at the Morifrair Nebula soon?"
"We'll be landing in five minutes," the Doctor said. "But I'm afraid I haven't put us on the waiting list for dinner."
"So we have a couple hours," Jack said, and that grin slowly appeared. That grin went directly to the base of Ianto's spine and made his nerve endings feel things he wasn't sure 21st century humans were meant to feel. Jack stepped back and tugged on Ianto's hand. "Come on. I bet the TARDIS gives us a bedroom less than five steps away from the control room."
"You're saying the TARDIS approves of sex?" Ianto asked, and he found himself distracted even as Jack tugged him out of the control room. He'd read the files on the TARDIS, of course. Seen all the transcripts and videos of interviews, seen the drawings and conjectured architectural blueprints. He knew how the TARDIS re-arranged itself according to some whim that apparently only the TARDIS was aware of. Jack himself had told Ianto about losing his bedroom on one occasion, wandering the hallways while alternatively flirting with and begging the TARDIS to just give him something he could lie down on. He'd ended up at Rose's room, and Jack had never satisfactorily finished that story.
"I think the TARDIS likes the Doctor well enough to give him what he wants, and he knows that we'll end up having sex in the hallway if we don't find a bedroom quickly." Jack pulled him down the hallway, and Ianto counted the steps.
"I heard that!" the Doctor called after them. "And you're exactly right!"
It was six steps before a door opened. Jack grinned and said, "She doesn't like being predictable, either." Then he drew Ianto inside and there was just enough time to see a normal-looking bedroom, with a normal bed in the center, before Jack was kissing him again.
~~~
"It's about time," Martha said as Ianto followed Jack into the control room. He'd decided not to be bothered by the fact they'd walked nearly five times as far to get back to the control room as they'd gone to get to it. He'd spent the entire walk back fending off Jack's wandering hands, and he gave his suit jacket one more tug to make sure he looked presentable despite Jack's best efforts to rumple him.
"Some things can't be rushed," Jack said, and Ianto was once again grateful he didn't blush easily.
"Have we been called to our table?" Ianto asked, still trying to -- or pretend that he as trying to -- ignore Jack's hand tugging at his jacket button. He caught sight of Toshiko, bent over one of the TARDIS' displays, and held back a smile. They might not be able to get her out of the TARDIS long enough for her to eat dinner.
"I called ahead," the Doctor said, nodding. He leaned over and said to Tosh, "That's the multi-translucent-harmonisation-calibrator."
Tosh's eyes went wide, and Ianto made a mental note to get her carry-out. Then he frowned. "Did you just make that up?"
"Of course not!" The Doctor looked mildly offended. Then he shrugged. "Simplified it a bit. Ape brains, you lot. Still, does the trick. Come on, dinner's waiting!"
Ianto turned his confused scowl to Jack, who just grinned and gave him an apologetic shrug. "You get used to it," Jack said. Then Jack tugged Ianto's hand, and reached over to take a hold of Toshiko's hand, dragging her away from the console. "You can stare at it on the trip back," he promised her.
"I'm really not hungry," she said, letting herself be pulled but not looking away from the displays. "I had breakfast half an hour ago. I could wait here--"
"You're coming with us," Martha said, intervening by taking Toshiko's other hand. "We'll find you someone to dance with and work up an appetite." She stopped and scowled at Jack. "I don't mean like that."
"What? I didn't say anything."
"No, but you were thinking it," Ianto told him. He headed for the door where Gwen and the Doctor were waiting, tugging Jack after him. "You're always thinking it." He gave Jack a smile over his shoulder -- and caught Jack's eyes focused downward. "You can look at my arse while I dance with Gwen and Toshiko," he offered. Jack beamed at him and Ianto rolled his eyes. "I did mean one at a time, you know."
Turning away from him, Ianto stepped through the doorway into whatever dinner and dancing experience was waiting for them...and stopped. Gwen and the Doctor were standing in a hallway, looking around. Gwen didn't seem exactly impressed. Ianto had to admit, he agreed with the look on her face.
"All right, where are we?" Martha asked. Ianto glanced back to see her hands on her hips, glaring at the Doctor. Behind her, Toshiko was looking around her, almost managing to hide her disappointment behind a polite expression of interest.
"We're at the Morifrair Nebula! I checked when we landed!" The Doctor looked put out as he strode over to a blank screen hanging on the otherwise blank wall. They watched as he took out his sonic screwdriver and turned the screen on. Ianto couldn't make sense of the data, or even the alphabet, that appeared -- his first and so far only clue that they'd landed someplace alien. Suddenly the Doctor frowned. "Oh. Well, that would explain it."
"Explain what?" Martha demanded.
The Doctor turned around and tried smiling at them all. In Ianto's opinion, it didn't seem very reassuring. "We've landed at the Rifin Lad Hub in Sector Four of the Morifrair Nebula. Exactly as I'd planned. But in 4491, instead of 4194. The place has been deserted for years by now!" The Doctor grinned as though missing by nearly three hundred years was no big deal. He glanced at the walls, sliding on fingertip down the spot nearest him. "Nice to see the place hasn't gone under with dust and corrosion."
"Doctor, you said dinner and dancing." Martha glared at him.
"And we will! We'll just get back on the TARDIS and go back a bit. That would explain why no one confirmed my dinner reservation," he added, thoughtfully.
"Right." Martha grabbed the Doctor by the arm -- and Jack held up a hand. He was looking at his wristband.
"I'm reading a single life form."
~~~
continued in part two