Title: Limits
Rating: T
Summary: Jack/Ianto. Post A Day in the Death. Ianto is worried about Jack's "limits".
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood.
Author's Note: So I was watching A Day in the Death yesterday, somewhat saddened at the lack of Janto. However, there was one particular line that I found interesting...
Limits
It wasn't hard for Jack to notice that Ianto was acting differently. His moods had changed – he was less bouncy, less witty, and less flirtatious (the last one in particular was a worry for Jack). He couldn't pinpoint an exact time these changes started, but it was around the time that Owen died. Or the time Owen was brought back. Jack wasn't sure which event was more significant. And so he decided to get to the bottom of it.
One day, Jack asked Ianto to stay back after work. Normally the events that followed after such a request would include items such as stopwatches and hockey sticks, but in this case Jack just wanted to help Ianto. He was sitting in the boardroom when Jack approached him.
"Ianto," he said, "are you alright?" Ianto straightened his tie.
"Of course Jack," he replied. "Why shouldn't I be?"
"You tell me," said Jack, his arms crossed over his chest. "The last few days you've seemed... distant. Like you've been keeping something to yourself, something you don't want anyone else to know about." Jack raised an eyebrow. "Do you have another Cyber-girlfriend you're not telling us about?" Ianto managed to chuckle, despite Jack's allusion being to a particularly painful memory.
"No," he said. "It's something else. It's... about us." Jack sat down and put his arm around Ianto.
"Tell me," he insisted. Ianto took a deep breath.
"You remember when you were talking about Henry Parker?" he said. "You said he used to be a looker, but now he was 80 and even you have your limits." Jack strained to remember.
"Er, vaguely," he said. "Wait... you're not jealous that I thought he was good-looking, are you?"
"Of course not," said Ianto, shaking his head. "I've gotten used to that. It was the other thing. I thought nothing of it at the time, but later that night I found it coming back to haunt me."
"I don't understand," said a confused Jack. Ianto sighed.
"You said you have your limits," he reminded him. "You – the most flexible person the world has ever known – and you weren't attracted to someone because they were old." Jack didn't quite get it for a moment, but then suddenly it dawned on him what Ianto was saying.
"Oh Ianto..." he began.
"I'll get old," interrupted Ianto, standing up. "While you stay young and beautiful and perfect, I'll constantly age. I'll get wrinkles. I'll need glasses, and hearing aids. I'll wear high waisted pants..."
"Well, I don't know about the last one..." said Jack jokingly, but his words didn't lift Ianto's spirits.
"What will happen to us, Jack?" said Ianto. "When I get too old to keep up with you, will you just leave me and start up with the next tea-boy that comes along?" Jack said nothing for a moment, before closing his eyes and joining Ianto standing.
"No," he whispered, before opening his eyes again. "I would never do that to you. I would never do anything to hurt you."
"But we can't carry on like we are now," said Ianto. "Even with Estelle you couldn't get close to her again."
"Estelle was different," said Jack, his head lowered.
"How? How was she different?!" cried Ianto. Suddenly, Jack grabbed Ianto and pushed him against the wall, his arms blocking an exit.
"Don't you get it?" he said through gritted teeth. "This is assuming you do get old. But you're forgetting – you work for Torchwood. Owen was only 27 years old, and he died. What if you had been the one to try and reason with Professor Copley? What would have stopped you being shot?" Jack looked into Ianto's eyes, his breaths becoming short and heavy. He then leaned in and gave him a hard, passionate kiss, before pulling back and resting his forehead against Ianto's.
"I don't know how much time you've got," he whispered. "I know I've got forever, but I don't know about you. Any future we have lies with you." A selection of tears began to run down Ianto's face.
"But what if you don't want me?" he asked sadly. Jack looked at his lover's face and carefully wiped the tears away with his finger.
"Ianto, for me, 80 years goes by in an instant," he said. "So when I find someone as special as you, I want them for as long as I can get." Ianto slowly nodded, before throwing his arms around Jack.
"You promise?" he asked.
"Promise," said Jack firmly. "You're an amazing man Ianto Jones, and you give me something that I desperately need." Ianto let go of Jack and faced him again.
"And what's that?" he questioned. Jack grinned.
"A bloody good shag," he declared. Ianto couldn't help but laugh. Jack then took him by the hand, and they strode off to do the aforementioned task.
The End
I never seem to be able to end my Janto fics on a serious note. Ah well...
Hope you liked it! Please review!