Jack might not have bothered to learn Welsh in all of his time in Cardiff, but he did pick up a few things throughout his years. He learned how to ask for directions to the bathroom, and the bare minimum to impress a date when they went out. He knew greetings, and curses, and when he was welcome and when he was not. He had lived in Wales longer than any Welshman in its history, and yet he still didn't feel compelled to learn the language.
Ianto had picked up a few things in his months in Captain Jack Harkness' bed. He learned where Jack liked to be touched, what sent him into a panic, and what he would never ask for, but always wanted. Most of all he learned not to say how you felt. Show it, sure, but never say it. Of course the urge to say those three words was still there. So when the need to say how he felt arose, he would say it in a way he knew Jack wouldn't understand.
When the stress of working at Torchwood became too much for the unsung heroes, they were always able to find solace in each other, regardless of whether either felt they could acknowledge it. So, when both men were exhausted at the end of a particularly difficult work week, and they fell apart and onto the younger man's tousled sheets, Ianto knew exactly what he would say.
"Caru chi" He muttered, curling up to the older man's side, still lightly panting.
"What does that mean?" Jack asked.
"Means, 'Thank you'" Ianto said, noncommittally, as he tried to seem like he was telling the truth. A few seconds passed as Jack thought. Finally he uttered something back that Ianto didn't recognize. He couldn't even place what sort of dialect. Jack had said it quietly, almost whispering with a reverie that settled in Ianto's heart before he realized he had no idea what it meant.
"What's that?" He asked, all tiredness suddenly gone from him.
"It's my mother tongue." Jack whispered, as Ianto tried not to show his surprise. "Means you're welcome." He looked down at the younger man's face, and gave him one of his rare genuine smiles that always seemed to take his breath away.
Jack picked up a few things in his decades in the country that he had lost so much to protect, and how to say I love you was one of them.
Thanks for reading! Every review is appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed it.
On another note, another fic of mine, Dreams of What Once Was, is still in need of another chapter. I wanted it to be fluffy but it just keeps coming out as angst, so I'm having a little poll in the reviews. Does it need another chapter (This time centered around Ianto and Jack)? Should it be fluffy or angsty? Again, please post in the review section. Thanks again :)