I.
The first time that Ianto spends the night at the Hub with Jack is quite short.
He sleeps fitfully, determined to wake early in order to hurry home for a quick shower and a change of clothes. For a man who frequently declares that he does not need a lot of sleep (something Ianto could never understand, given how exhausted he feels by the end of the day), Jack is a solid sleeper when he does rest, and Ianto hopes to slip out unnoticed, even if it does feel somewhat cowardly. Yet as soon as he untangles himself from the arm slung over his hip and the mess of blankets around their legs, Jack stirs and opens his eyes.
"Where're you going?" he asks, his voice rough with sleep. If Jack looks somewhat confused or even disappointed, Ianto tells himself that he is only imagining it.
"I'm going back to my flat to have a shower and some breakfast before I come in."
Jack frowns as he props himself up on one elbow. "You could do all that here," he says. There is no leer to his voice, no suggestive hint; it is an honest and open offer that Ianto is almost tempted to accept, except for one thing.
"I don't have any clothing here," he says, shrugging apologetically when Jack looks skeptical. Ianto puts on his shirt and trousers from the previous day, then sits on the edge of the bed to pull on his shoes. "I'll be back in two hours." He leaves out the 'sir' he automatically hears in his head; they are a bit beyond that now, having spent the night together. Quick shags on (or under) the desk are one thing; this is quite another. Maybe a part of him is trying to escape as well as clean up.
Ianto stands to leave, but Jack sits up and grabs his hand before he gets far. "Ianto," Jack says, a crooked grin on his face. "I'm glad you stayed."
"Me too," Ianto replies. He swallows the 'sir' at the end once more. Jack is watching him closely.
"No regrets?" he asks, and Ianto shakes his head.
"No regrets, Jack." There, he said it. Not 'sir', but Jack. He wants to think he slept with Jack, not his boss, but there is a blurred line between the two and probably always will be.
"Good," says Jack, standing and stretching. It is all Ianto can do to stop himself from pinning Jack down on the bed for another round, only he'll certainly be late then, and he really did want to go home, take some deep breaths under a very cold shower, and start a new day with a bit more control. He steps up the ladder from Jack's room.
"Ianto!" Jack calls, and Ianto stops to offer a questioning look.
"Next time stay for breakfast," says Jack. Ianto nods, trying not to smile as a warm glow spreads from his chest throughout his body, then hurries up the ladder and through the Hub, shaking his head and grinning to himself.
Next time. If there really is a next time—and Ianto has no expectations or illusions about whatever he and Jack have been doing for the past several weeks—he will be more prepared to spend the night. He's already looking forward to that breakfast.
The second time Ianto spends the night with Jack, he makes sure there is at least a clean shirt and tie (and pants, of course) in his locker for the next morning. He even throws in a toothbrush, since he'll need to clean his teeth, and he can always use the clothing (or the toothbrush) at other points during the day as well. Like when dealing with dead aliens that leak fluids they aren't supposed to leak all over the boot of the SUV.
Jack wakes up before him this time, and Ianto finds the other man sitting against the wall behind them, glancing through files in the dim light of the lamp next to the bed.
"How long have you been awake?" Ianto asks, rolling over in the tight space as best as he can and glancing at Jack's questionable choice of early morning reading material. "And is that how you always start your day, with status reports in bed?"
Jack chuckles as he sets down the printouts on the latest readings from the Rift. He snuggles—wait, Jack snuggles in the morning?—back to horizontal, pulling Ianto toward him with a kiss. "No, I usually get up, shower, and read them at my desk, but I didn't want to bother you. I've only been awake an hour or two, it's no big deal."
"What time is it?" asks Ianto, stifling a yawn. He would love to go back to sleep, as their recreational activities went quite a bit later than usual last night, but he knows that won't happen now that he's fully awake.
"Time for breakfast," Jack replies with a grin. "You promised."
"I agreed," Ianto corrects him. "I didn't promise." He glances around Jack to the clock and sits up with a curse muttered under his breath. "Jack! It's late. You should've woken me."
"You needed your sleep after last night." Jack's grin becomes more of a seductive smirk than anything as he tugs Ianto back down next to him. "And since there's no time to run home, you'll have to shower and eat breakfast here with me."
"All part of your evil plan, I assume?" Ianto says, his voice dry.
"Naturally." Jack leans in to kiss him, until he suddenly smiles against Ianto's lips and pulls away, sitting up and bringing Ianto with him. "Come on, shower first."
"Together?" asks Ianto. It is a token protest, however; the idea appeals immensely right then. He vaguely thinks waking up with Jack might be one of the better starts to his day in a long time. He pushes the thought away, since it's not likely to happen that often.
"It'll be quicker and conserve water," Jack replies. "And it'll be fun."
"I'm not sure what's so fun about taking a shower." Jack laughs as he drags Ianto into the en suite and starts the hot water. Ianto wishes he had brought his toothbrush down with him instead of leaving it in his locker, especially when Jack cleans his teeth while the water heats up. Jack lets him take a capful of mouthwash, checks the water temperature, and offers Ianto a hand.
"I don't think you've taken the right kind of shower yet, Ianto Jones."
The right kind of shower, it turns out, is a steamy hot one that involves a good deal of wet snogging, a blow job, and Jack pressed against the tiles shouting Ianto's name as he comes again. It is definitely the best start to his day Ianto has ever had.
He throws on his clothes from the day before, not bothering to tuck in his shirt or knot his tie, then heads upstairs while Jack finishes getting dressed. He starts the coffee before hurrying to his locker to change into his spare pants and shirt, knotting a new tie around his neck. Cleaning his teeth, Ianto realizes he has not shaved and did not even think to pack a shaving kit. He looks decidedly scruffy, and while it bothers him to look unprofessional at work, he can't help but grin at his reflection as he thinks back to the incredibly erotic shower he just experienced and how the entire night had been more than worth a bit of stubble.
For breakfast, he and Jack share a pastry Jack had picked up for them the day before along with a leisurely cup of coffee. Ianto decides he could get used to such mornings.
Later, he regrets not going home to shave and change into a new suit. He is fairly sure Tosh notices something when she does a double-take at his appearance, though of course she doesn't say anything. Owen, on the other hand, gives him a ridiculously hard time for not shaving, which is unquestionably annoying consider how many times Owen has shown up looking far worse not two, but three or four mornings in a row.
When Gwen comes in, she notices both the suit and the lack of a shave; her and Owen decide that Ianto is doing the walk of shame and not only did he get laid, but he must have stayed out all night as well and showered at the Hub. They badger him mercilessly about it until he thumps a cup of instant coffee down in front of them for their mid-afternoon break and stalks away with a wink at Tosh. Hearing them both sputter behind him makes him feel better, if still embarrassed.
He decides he probably needs to keep an extra suit and a shaving kit in his locker as well as shirts and ties, just in case.
The third time Ianto stays with Jack, it is a Friday night in December. Jack often lets the team come in later on Saturday, if at all, so they both sleep in, figuring the others won't arrive for a few hours. When he wakes up, Ianto throws on a pair of Jack's pyjama bottoms and pads upstairs to bring them coffee and toast in bed. He is standing at the coffee machine, gazing up at the water tower wondering yet again what the hell he's doing when the alarms go off and the cog door rolls open. Glancing down at his bare feet and chest, Ianto swears under his breath and silently implores the coffee maker to brew faster, even though he knows there is very little chance of him not being discovered.
It is Tosh who enters, which is the least awkward of the team. She moves to her station, taking off her coat and setting her bag down without even seeing Ianto by the coffee machine. He idly wonders if he should stay there until she moves to another part of the Hub, or if he should try to sneak past her toward the locker room in order to get dressed.
With a sigh, he pours Tosh a cup of coffee and decides to face her as if it wasn't a big deal he was walking around the hub half naked, since being caught hiding or sneaking would be even worse. His mind comes up with all sorts of reasons why he might be wandering around the Hub on a Saturday morning in pyjama pants, none of which involve spending the night naked with Jack; he wonders if the idea would even cross Tosh's mind.
He steps up behind her and sets down a warm mug next to her keyboard. She turns in surprise, then gasps and…wait, is she blushing? Ianto knows his face is red in response. "Ianto!" she exclaims, stepping back and looking him up and down, then averting her eyes to her coffee. "What are you doing here? In your pyjamas?"
Behind her, Ianto sees Jack appear in doorway of his office, arms crossed over his chest and a wide grin on his face. He wiggles his eyebrows and licks his lips, obviously trying to distract Ianto, who forces himself to look back at Tosh with a small smile.
"Late night," he offers with a shrug. Jack pulls another face and jerks his hand in front of his trousers, and Ianto sips at his coffee to hide the bigger grin he can't contain. It had been a late night, but not for any reason Tosh needs to know.
"What were you working on?" she asks, all innocent curiosity. Ianto sips a bit longer as his brain tries to think of something believable.
"Lost track of time downstairs in Section 69," he finally replies, evading the question. He sees Jack bite his knuckles to suppress a groan and enjoys the small victory. "So I just stayed over."
Tosh is eyeing him with something akin to suspicion now. "Where did you sleep?" she asks.
"On the sofa," Ianto replies. She peeks around him and raises an eyebrow when she sees the empty couch.
"No blankets, no pillows?" she asks.
"Already tidied up," Ianto replies. "I was just getting ready to shower and shave when you came in."
She nods slowly, as if trying to puzzle something out. "Is Jack around?"
"Dunno," says Ianto. He covers a laugh with a forced cough when Jack makes an absolutely ridiculous face (a bit like his orgasm face, if Ianto's honest) from his office. Ianto is rather impressed with his ability to keep it together at that moment; then again, he's hidden far more important secrets.
"Right. Well, don't let me keep you," says Tosh. She has not seen Jack or his faces yet. "I just want to finish up what I started yesterday." She turns to find Jack standing in the doorway, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Ianto groans to himself and tries to flash Jack a look with his eyes. He knows Jack has seen him, but also ignored him.
Tosh appears slightly surprised to see Jack behind her, half dressed in khakis and a white undershirt, and she glances back and forth between Jack and Ianto several times before shaking her head and turning back to her computer. Ianto sighs; she might be thinking it, but she will never say it.
Finishing his last sip of coffee as quickly as he can, Ianto leaves his mug near the sink and moves toward the locker room. Only then he remembers that he had grabbed his toothbrush and clothing and hung it in Jack's closet the previous night to avoid putting on his old suit or slinking around the Hub half dressed to get to the locker room.
Well, that was certainly working out well.
With a sigh, Ianto turns and walks back towards Jack's office, ignoring Tosh and the gleeful grin that Jack flashes from the doorway. He is going to have to keep several sets of clothing stashed around the Hub if he's going to be spending more time there.
Especially if he doesn't want to be caught walking around half naked by Owen next time.
Author's Notes:
Something I started ages and ages ago, the ending finally came to me so it's time to get it off the unfinished pile and share! It's sort of the opposite of 'Don't Stay.' Three parts, should be up within a fortnight! Thank you to Taamar to reading it over, and to everyone else for reading!