Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Requested by Zoe
"When are they shipping you out?"
Steve paused from where he was pushing his sweat ridden workout clothes into a duffel bag. Although he hadn't been expecting anyone, the soft voice, familiar and oh so welcome, filled him with some kind of happiness. He straightened his back and glanced over at the other man, who was leaning comfortably against one of the lockers, arms folded across his broad chest.
"Tomorrow morning," Steve responded simply, "You?"
"Tuesday afternoon - I've been stationed in London."
A pang went through him at the thought of Him leaving once more, but he was quick to suppress it. "When are you coming back?"
He shrugged. "A few months." A cocky smile crossed his handsome face, "Will you miss me?"
"Jack..."
"What?" The man feigned innocence.
Steve gave him a thoroughly unmasked look, which of course had no affect on the dark haired Captain. Not that it ever did.
"You haven't answered the question Steve," Jack mused, taking languid steps forward, his boots clicking on the flooring. Steve tensed with every footfall, his hands flexing nervously, and he let out a shuddered breath when hot breath warmed his cheek.
"So," Jack drew out, "Will you miss me?"
Steve licked his lips. "You know I will..."
'I always do...'
"Good," Jack commented, "That means our first date will be one to remember."
Steve paused, confused. "Huh?"
"Our first date," Jack repeated slowly, "we're going dancing."
"Dancing...?"
Steve didn't want to admit how much his heart was pounding in his chest, and he really hoped it didn't show on his face, although, judging by Jack's expression, it was safe to say his body was betraying him.
"You said you've always wanted to go dancing,"
"I know, but-"
Jack interrupted. "Brilliant, it's settled then," he clapped and beamed charmingly, "the Savoy, eight o'clock. Six weeks. Don't be late."
Steve's lips twitched upward in amusement. Despite his nerves, he couldn't help the fondness that filled him at the man's so obvious excitement. It was just like Jack.
"I won't be," he promised.
He was left with the firm press of lips against his cheek, and then cold air filled the space.
70 years later…
New York, USA
Steve set down the photograph on the glass table, and let out a heavy sigh. He dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his eyes with his palms. When Tony had given him the box of old photos, ones his father had kept all these years, he hadn't expected it to affect him so much.
How much his gut hurt at what he had lost.
And then he felt guilty about it. He shouldn't feel like this anymore. It was years ago (even though it felt like days to him) and Tony was tugging at his heart, had been for a while now. How could he feel so strongly about another man, with the man he was sure he was going to love in the next room?
But it was Jack, Jack Harkness. His first love. He had seen him prior to the serum, and he had just smiled at his persistence to join the army, had wished him luck and told him he had a soft spot for men like him. Steve had never found out what he meant by that.
For a time, he had thought he'd found his right partner. The one person he wanted to dance with. Now that he'd found Tony, however frustrating the billionaire may be, he wasn't so sure. Still, it just goes to show how important the man was to him.
Steve wondered where Jack was now, whether he was still alive. Had he moved on? Met someone else, fallen in love, started a family? All the questions circled around his mind, and they were destined to remain unanswered. Fury had given him files on everyone he had once known.
There was very little information around on Harkness. There was everything up to his stationing in London, then a rumour that he moved to Wales years later when the name 'Captain Jack Harkness' appeared again under restricted files, all stamped with the official markings of an organization known as 'Torchwood'. Everything else was just...lost in the wind.
Steve jumped when a hand descended on his shoulder, looking up guiltily to meet Tony's concerned gaze.
"Are you okay?" He inquired with awkwardness to his voice that made Steve smile. His Tony really wasn't good at dealing with emotions. It meant a lot that the man was trying.
Steve rested his own hand over Tony's and squeezed back gently, hoping to convey gratitude in one touch. "Yes," he answered honestly, "just...I didn't realize..."
"It's okay. I understand," he quickly assured, not wanting to force the other man to talk if he wasn't ready. His eyes paused curiously over one picture. "Who's that?"
Steve's eyes trailed to the photograph. "That..." he cleared his throat, "that's J-Jack Harkness. He...was important to me."
"You...loved him," Tony said the question as a statement, a slight vulnerability slipping into his voice that Steve was sure he didn't want to be there.
Steve squeezed the hand comfortingly. "Maybe, once, but not anymore."
"...Do you think about him?"
"Sometimes, but less frequently nowadays," Steve declared. The reason why went unsaid, but it wasn't needed.
Tony quirked a smile. He grasped Steve's hand properly; his grip tight, and offered him an enticing smile. "So how about I give you something else to think about..."
Steve smirked. He moved to his feet willingly, following the lead of the coy looking brunet. "Well, I did like those shoes..."
Tony chuckled. "Who would believe that Capitan America has a shoe kink?"
"Lucky for you," the blond joked.
"Hmm, yes lucky me..."
Cardiff, Wales
"So, how did you know him?" Ianto inquired softly.
Jack had never told him much about his life, the one he had before the Doctor, but something this Ianto that was because he was ashamed of it. He was a con man, Ianto knew that much, and he knew that the man had done many things, most of which he wasn't proud of.
"The Doctor made me a better man," Jack had said before.
But this time they weren't talking about the Doctor. They were talking about Capitan Steve Rogers, aka Capitan America. Ianto recognised him from the old comic books her read when he was a child. The stories of the puny kid from Brooklyn who was thrust into this wonderful world where he was given the opportunity of a lifetime, one where he had power and the ability to protect everyone he cared about. It was safe to say that Ianto could relate.
What he didn't know was that Jack knew the man himself. But he'd seen the pictures, taken by the armies official photographer; of Jack's charming smile, of one arm being thrown casually over broad shoulders, of the blond looking at Jack in a way that almost made Ianto jealous.
As if Jack could sense it, a hand slid upwards through his short hair, gripping the strands firmly and tugged.
"Steve was someone...I cared about, a lot," Jack admitted, "he saw something in me, something better than I was."
"I doubt that," Ianto muttered.
Jack looked unconvinced but didn't say anything about on it. "I nearly dated him, you know," he said instead.
"Really?"
He hummed. "It was the day before I was shipped to London." He smiled softly, "we were going to go dancing. He'd always wanted to go, and well, I'm a pretty fine dancer and I wanted to show off," and then he sighed heavily, "but that was before the Doctor and Rose. He had a time machine, I thought I'd be able to make it back in time - and then I find out that Steve was MIA. I tried searching for more information, maybe trying to find out whether he had survived, but there was nothing after the initial report on the crash. They couldn't even recover his body from the ice. He was just...gone. So I tried to forget as you must have noticed I have a habit of doing."
"It was something I'd picked up on," Ianto commented.
Jack's lips twitched into a slight smile, and drew the younger man closer to his chest. "And then, sometimes, I let myself remember, and think about what could have been."
Ianto tilted his head until his temple rested against Jack's forehead.
"Do you wish you could go back and change everything?" He wondered quietly.
"Every once and a while," Jack admitted, drawing Ianto closer to him.
He dipped his head to rest in the crook of his neck, and breathed in deeply. He'd always loved how Ianto smelt - like the amazing coffee he made every day, like the chocolate he fed Myfanwy every night, like the lavender bleach he cleaned his flat excessively with whenever he had the free time. It was addictive. After a moment, Jack continued talking, "but then I think of all the amazing things I've seen, all the beautiful people I've met, all the ones that I've loved, and I wouldn't want to change that for the world."
Ianto turned his head and his lips brushed against Jack's. He shivered in pleasure when hot breath caressed his sensitive skin.
"You're such a charmer," Ianto mused, a tinge of amusement and fond exasperation to his voice.
"It was that and my dashing good looks that drew you in," Jack teased.
"Well, it certainly wasn't your singing voice," Ianto retorted.
Jack pretended to look aghast. "How dare you! I sing like an angel!"
"Maybe I should put you on decaf, clearly all that caffeine has gone straight to your head and affecting your brain's processes."
The Capitan looked utterly terrified. "You wouldn't dare..."
"Don't tempt me," Ianto smirked, "you know how much I like to by hear you beg..."
"Ianto Jones, I do believe you're abusing your position of power," Jack said, unable to keep the desire from darkening his gaze.
Ianto brushed their lips together once more. "And don't you just love it, sir."
