A/N: Just a bit of fluff I wrote because it's the holidays, there are good feelings in the air, and the boys didn't want to go to the dark place I seem to be obsessed with sending them. That's probably a good thing. I own nothing. All rights belong to the BBC and RTD. Enjoy -Amberssister
Jack leaned forward carefully, trying hard not to jostle anything, and grabbed the remote. After what felt like at least five minutes of intense scrutiny, he finally found the power key way down at the bottom, hidden beneath a hundred other buttons whose functions he couldn't even guess at. He switched the television off and shifted slightly, trying to find a comfortable position. He propped his feet up and leaned back. As he sank into the couch he realized that he was prepared to stay there all night, sitting up, in the dark with his legs slowly but surly going numb. All so he wouldn't awaken the man who'd quite suddenly, and rather disappointingly, fallen asleep on top of him. Jack sighed and touched Ianto's hair. He wished it were longer so that he could romantically brush it out of Ianto's eyes. This was a moment made for romantic hair brushing. If he'd been the one to fall asleep this moment would have gone better.
Jack smiled at his thoughts and stretched slightly. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was only half past ten. Other people were just getting to the bars, or just getting lucky. He was trapped on a couch, up against the arm and held down by a narcoleptic without enough hair. Still, the idea of waking Ianto up, especially waking him only for Jack to run out, was worse than being stuck all night. Maybe that's all love truly is, Jack thought, maybe it's just getting pinned down and minding less than you'd mind getting unpinned. Maybe we all complicate things too much. He closed his eyes and tried to drowse.
At midnight, Jacks' ass was numb and he was seriously reconsidering his options. Ianto hadn't stirred, hadn't even made a noise and Jack had checked his vitals. The man was alive, just dead to the world. He must have been exhausted, and Jack didn't blame him. The Rift had been busier than usual for a week straight, and Ianto probably hadn't seen his apartment for days before tonight. Jack hated to wake him. Ianto was one of those people that find it hard to go back to sleep once they're up, and Jack really wanted him to be able to sleep thru. Ianto needed to sleep thru, but… Jacks' ass was numb. Not numb in an 'I simply can't feel it' way, but numb in an 'I know I'll be feeling it later, and it will be just this side of unbearable' way. Plus, he was bored. He'd been sitting in the dark for hours, and he'd run out of things to occupy himself with.
"Ianto? Ianto?" Nothing happened and Jack realized he was speaking in a sub-whisper. "Ianto?" he spoke louder and shook the man gently. Ianto groaned and rolled over on his back. His brow furrowed for a moment and than smoothed out. Jack looked down at his face and thought he'd look perfect if it weren't for the dark circles under his eyes. The marred beauty was, in a way, better than any perfection could ever be; that mixed with the way Ianto's tee shirt was just barely pulled up, made Jack ache with wanting him. Because things just weren't uncomfortable enough, Jack thought. If he'd been with almost anybody else, Jacks' newest predicament would have become the foremost deciding factor. He'd woken Ianto up once, though, to fool around, and he'd spent the rest of the night listening to a diatribe on how a Torchwood employees standard three hours of sleep were far to precious to lose because Jack couldn't wait a bit 'till morning. Just the memory of that night, and the resulting day he'd spent alternately apologizing and dodging, were enough to calm him down. No one who'd once suffered the wrath of a sleep deprived Ianto would ever want to suffer it again.
Jack looked at his watch and saw that was now half-past midnight. He'd been staring at Ianto's face for almost half an hour. Who could blame him though? He really was handsome. Jack would stare at him for hours when he was awake, but Ianto would probably get uncomfortable and irritated. Looking at him now, Jack lost his will. He'd let him sleep. Hell, if he was lucky he'd grab a few hours himself. He closed his eyes and again tried to drowse.
It was just after three, and long after agony, when Jack's prayers were finally answered. Sleep had, of course, never come and the lower half of his body was dead. He'd passed the time by thinking up porn names for his friends, reflecting on political history, wondering how on Earth a man could sleep like that without getting a crick in his neck, and was just moving on to pondering celebrity gossip, when Ianto finally woke up. He groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes (and his neck, Jack was almost perversely glad to note). Jack stood immediately, and had to sit down just as fast. The leg situation was worse than he'd feared, and his back had apparently decided it was never moving again. He started rubbing life back into his extremities, and Ianto smiled at him weakly. "How long did I sleep on you?" he asked. Jack checked the time. "Not to long," he said, "about five hours." "Oh, god, Jack, you should've woken me. Here, let me help you with that. I'm so sorry." Jack gasped as Ianto started kneading the knots in his back. "Don't worry about it. It's okay. I mean hey, it's not my favorite thing to do when someone's head is in my lap, but it's a close second." Ianto laughed and helped Jack to his feet. Standing had never felt so good. Jack didn't think he'd ever sit down again. "Did you get any sleep?" Ianto asked and Jack shook his head. "I don't really need it though. Now that I can feel my body again I'm fine." Ianto stared at him for a moment, a look of disbelief on his face. "You really just sat there, doing nothing for five hours? Jack, you should have woken me, I would've understood. I mean it's hardly like that time you woke me up to-"
"Do you have to mention that at every available opportunity?"
"I was just making a point." Ianto said and shot him a look. "I can't believe you did that. Let me sleep, I mean, not the other. Why?" Jack smiled, and again wished for hair to brush out of Ianto's eyes. "You needed it," he said "and you looked so sexy when you were sleeping."
"Sexy? Is this another fetish I don't want to know about?"
Jack laughed. "Maybe." He said. " Are you still tired?" Ianto narrowed his eyes. "I may never sleep around you again." Jack scoffed. "Seriously, Ianto. Do you want to try to catch a few more hours?" "No," Ianto said, heading for the kitchen, "but I do want to eat something. How do you feel about a very early breakfast?" "I'd love it. And than maybe, after breakfast…"
"After breakfast what?" Ianto asked.
"Well, you know, speaking of that one time…"
Jack grinned and Ianto kissed him passionately enough he figured breakfast was going to wait.