TITLE: The Other Side of the Wall
AUTHOR: Erin Giles
DISCLAIMER: Torchwood is property of the BBC.
RATING: PG-13 (swearing)
PAIRINGS/CHARACTERS: Jack/Ianto implied, Gwen, Tosh, Owen
SUMMARY: Post KKBB. Jack books the team in St. David's Hotel after John Hart disappears back through the rift so they can avoid themselves for the night. No one's going to sleep anytime soon and as the team listen to Jack and Ianto arguing they can all agree that the Honeymoon Suite isn't going to be used for it's intended purposes that evening.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Tosh asked as she sunk onto one of the two Queen sized beds, kicking her shoes from her feet. They were in one of the suites on the top floor of St. David's Hotel. How Jack had managed to persuade the hotel to book them in this late at night , without so much as batting an eyelid, Tosh did not know. She suspected there were sexual favours involved.
"I think Ianto can handle Jack," Owen grouched, sinking down onto the other bed, holding onto his stomach painfully. Gwen frowned from where she was perched on her heels by the mini-bar, looking in at the contents.
"I was actually asking about Jack," Tosh said softly before getting up to go into the bathroom to inspect her lip.
"It's not like he doesn't deserve any bollocking he gets is it?" Owen asked in reply, sitting up on his elbows slightly to regard Tosh's back as she peered at herself in the bathroom mirror.
"Owen's right Tosh," Gwen added, pulling herself to her feet and bringing three miniatures of whisky with her. "He left us, didn't he? Didn't say goodbye, didn't even bother to leave a note."
Gwen poured the whiskies into tumblers, handing the first one to Owen, which he took gratefully as he pulled himself into a sitting position again.
It was at that point a muffled, "You left Jack!" floated through the wall.
Owen quirked an eyebrow in the direction of the wall, "I say Jack deserves whatever physical or verbal abuse Ianto throws at him." Owen downed the contents of his glass in one, putting it down on the floor beside the bed before lying back down again.
"To be honest I'm surprised Ianto doesn't have abandonment issues, either that or he probably thinks he's cursed," Owen observed, staring up at the ceiling of the hotel room.
"Owen," Gwen warned gently, sipping at her whisky where she sat in one of the armchairs by the floor to ceiling windows. She handed Tosh the third tumbler of whisky as she re-emerged from the bathroom.
"You're just as bad as your Doctor! He left you behind too or are you so blinded by love you can't see how much it hurts?!"
Ianto's voice was startlingly clear through the walls and everyone cringed at the words.
"Ouch," Gwen mumbled, wincing into her glass.
"Either Ianto's being uncharacteristically loud or these walls are really thin, which doesn't make sense since I'm sure Jack booked Ianto into the honeymoon suite," Owen said to no one in particular.
Tosh giggled into her glass as she sat down at the head of one of the beds, picking up a pillow and hugging it to her chest.
"Yeah, well whatever happens tonight I don't think that honeymoon suite will be used for its intended purposes," Gwen commented as she heard Jack begging Ianto to listen to him.
"He asked Ianto on a date," Tosh said quietly, but loud enough to cause both Owen and Gwen to look at her. She took a sip from her drink, looking into its depths.
"How do you know?" Gwen asked intrigued, suddenly sitting a little more upright in her seat.
"Ianto said when we were down at reception," Tosh answered quietly. "He just kind of blurted it out, like he needed to tell someone. He said yes as well, but he seemed like he was regretting his decision."
As if on cue, they heard a loud bang from through the wall followed by someone swearing loudly. Tosh wondered if Ianto had punched Jack. She really couldn't blame him if he had.
"Well he's definitely got some balls hasn't he?" Owen asked rhetorically. "He fucks off for three months without so much as a 'see you later,' then he comes back and expects Ianto to still be waiting for him."
"He was though wasn't he," Gwen observed, finishing off her whisky and setting the glass down on the small table. "He's not been out with anyone while Jack's been away apart from us, has he?"
"So? Tosh hasn't been out with anyone since Mary, doesn't mean she's pining after Jack." Owen observed, causing Tosh to go bright red and Gwen to shoot him a warning look.
"You can be a right arse sometimes, you know that Owen," Gwen snapped, getting up to go to the mini-bar again.
"I'm in pain, I'm allowed to be." Owen grouched back, reaching out a hand for whatever alcoholic beverage Gwen was retrieving, frowning when she didn't bring him one.
"Anyway, they were just shagging, weren't they?" Owen commented.
"It might have been just shagging for Jack, although since he's asked Ianto out on a date, I don't know anymore." Tosh shrugged, accepting her second drink gratefully. They had twenty-four hours to kill and Tosh figured she deserved to get a little tipsy.
There was another bang from next door followed by the incredulous sounding words of, "You're sorry?".
"See, this is why you don't get involved with people at work," Owen said, vaguely waving his hand in the direction of the wall. "They're forever going to be awkward around one another, and as a result it's going to make it awkward for us, pussy footing about them all the time, scared they'll go off on one at each other."
"They'll work it out," Tosh enthused, almost sounding worried for them. "Ianto will forgive Jack eventually."
"Really?" Gwen asked, finally speaking up after being unusually quiet, as she stared out the window.
"He's Jack," Tosh said quietly. "I'm still mad at him for leaving, but he said he came back for us and I believe him, doesn't mean I don't want an explanation though."
"I wouldn't hold your breath Tosh," Owen scoffed.
"He told me he saw the end of the world," Gwen said softly, still staring out the window of St. David's Hotel over the bay.
"You think he'll tell Ianto?" Tosh asked, taking another drink.
"Stop feeding me bullshit Jack!" Ianto's voice was louder than ever through the walls as Owen turned to look at Tosh.
"That answer your question Tosh?" Owen had a rather smug look on her face.
"Come on," Gwen said, pulling herself to her feet and leaving her glass behind. "Jack's splashed out for the hotel, I say we make the most of it, and I don't know about you two but I need a massage after the day I've had."
"I hate to burst your bubble Gwen but it's," Owen twisted to look at the clock next to the bed, "half five in the morning, I don't think the Spa's open yet."
"Says here that the pool area opens at half past five and treatments are available from 6 o'clock." Tosh read from the pamphlet beside the bed.
Gwen stuck out her tongue at Owen before turning to Tosh, "Fancy a swim, Tosh?"
Tosh nodded, unfolding her legs from under her and downing the last of her drink, "Too wired to sleep just yet."
Gwen nodded, agreeing.
"Well I'm going to bed to sleep for the rest of the day," Owen grumbled, making no effort to move.
"You can sleep on your own bed then," Gwen replied, kicking Owen in the leg to get him to move.
"But that involves moving," Owen complained. He eventually pulled himself to his feet and Tosh and Gwen followed him out of the room door just as the door to the room next to them was flung open. Jack stumbled rather unceremoniously into the corridor. His braces were hanging down by his sides, his coat and shoes missing. They soon followed him into the hallway though, hitting him in the stomach.
"Ianto, please," Jack tried to reason but the rest of the team could see Ianto was having none of it. He straightened slightly when he saw Gwen, Tosh and Owen all looking rather sheepishly at him. There was silence in the corridor as everyone stared at everyone else for a long moment.
"Right, I'm not going to stand around in awkward silence all day, I'm going to bed," Owen announced, pushing past Jack to get to his room.
"Tosh and I are just going for a swim," Gwen announced after a moment before starting to edge down the corridor, Tosh on her heels.
"I'll come with you," Ianto called politely after them, causing Gwen and Tosh to pause at the lift doors.
Ianto caught up with them, the door to his room slamming shut, leaving Jack to stand in the middle of the corridor looking lost.
"By the way, I'm sure reception will be more than happy to give someone suitable a call for you if you've still got that problem in your pants." Ianto shot rather cold-heartedly at Jack as the lift doors pinged shut. Tosh and Gwen shared a look but didn't say anything. It was Ianto who broke the silence though. Gwen and Tosh weren't sure if he was crying or laughing. Gwen placed a hand on his shoulder, lifting her head slightly to catch his eye.
"Ianto, pet? You okay?" Gwen inquired. It was then she realised that Ianto was out and out laughing.
"Oh, you are evil," Tosh commented.
"You're not mad at him?" Gwen asked as they emerged into the lobby.
"Oh, I am angry with him," Ianto corrected as they lazily made their way across the deserted lobby to the Spa. "Just not as angry as I made out I was. I'm more hurt than angry."
Gwen sighed, "I know the feeling."
"Still, I say let him feel guilty for a while, it'll do him good," Ianto enthused as he opened the door into the Spa and ushered Gwen and Tosh inside.