Of course Jack was left to clean Ianto's cuts while Owen was busy with Gwen's gunshot wounds. He wasn't even sure the archivist had stopped hating him entirely since what had happened with the cyberwoman. Though he couldn't say he was completely upset, having the shirtless man laying back in the least painful position considering the bruises. Trying to stay as still as possible he sprawled back on the cot Tosh was so kind to accommodate him with, although he couldn't say it was all that comfortable. The makeshift bed was obviously old, probably brought when even Jack was new to the team. He cringed a bit, thinking about all the past members that had been treated on this very table. Jack paused in finding the gauze and disinfectant to glance at him, noticing how he moved his sore neck as much as he could to check the cot for any stains. Leave it to Ianto to have spotlessness a top priority while he was in as much pain as he was. Ianto was cute, Jack couldn't ignore that.
Still, he felt horrible, underneath his musing, for the young man. He couldn't help but notice the bruises horribly marring the pale skin Jack had always hoped he would see more of, if not under these circumstances. They hadn't lied when they said the meat had to be tenderized. Jack flinched when he remembered the monsters he had encountered today. And he thought Weevils were the bloodthirsty animals. Poor Ianto, why had Jack even invited him, when he didn't even properly know how to use a gun? Right, he remembered bitterly. He wanted to see him in casual clothes. Damn, what a trivial thing for Ianto to nearly die for. That's it, he was NEVER going into the field again.
Ianto was starting to sweat slightly, trying to hold back the pain from laying on his back, knowing laying on his stomach wouldn't be better, it might even be worse. He couldn't tell whether he was happy or upset that Jack was going to be working on him. He had eventually half forgiven the immortal, admitting it was a stupid to keep Lisa in The Hub, thought still knew she didn't deserve to die. Forgiving Jack was made a little bit easier seeing as he was so dashing... Oh, God. Did he really just think that about his boss? A man? He had spent way too much time waiting for Lisa to wake up. The last time he even thought about someone that way was before Canary Wharf, and in that case it was his long term, female, girlfriend. Sure, he considered men once, anyone who went to college thought at least once about bisexuality, but he never acted on it. He was straight.
Jack finally finished getting his supplies together and turned to his patient who was waiting patiently for him to begin. This sounded like something straight out of Jack's fantasies. After this was all over he really needed to see if the Welshman was ready to start their flirting game once again. He began cleaning the wounds, causing Ianto to shut his eyes tightly and clench his jaw in pain, whining a bit. Jack let a small play on his lips, thinking of perverted ways he could make him make that noise again. He began to concentrate again and swiped the gauze over a particularly deep gash. Ianto gripped handfuls of the sheets, gasping Jack's name, trying to get him to show some mercy that was he knew couldn't be shown if he didn't want an infection. Jack felt only slightly guilty grinning widely at the man wreathing below him, who had arched his back against the working of the makeshift nurse. It wasn't that Jack was enjoying Ianto's pain, it was just that...well..
"You know, Ianto Jones, you are giving me distinct flashbacks to the seventies. Or was that last Thursday? Anyway there was disco music and a very sexy-"
"Go to hell, Jack" Ianto interrupted, suddenly very upset that he was stuck with Jack as his candy striper. Didn't that sound exactly like something Ianto was sure Jack had role-played as at some point in his life? Jack donned his would be charming smile had not Ianto closed his eyes and gone back to his breathing exercises to take his mind off his burning muscles.
"Maybe I lied, now I'm getting a memory from when that time I was pregnant, never doing-"
"JACK! Could you please just focus!"
"I wish you'd beg more often."
"OWEN! Could you please get this bastard away from me!" A grunt was heard in the medical bay as the doctor barely acknowledged Ianto. He was far too involved with what he was doing, picking any remaining shrapnel from Gwen. He was impossible to get to when in medic mode, not to mention if he did this well enough, he may finally get the former PC into his bed. So, he ignored Ianto, who continued to glare at Jack as the latter went back to work, while trying not let the grin burst back onto his face.
Eventually this part was done, much to Jack's chagrin and Ianto's delight. Ianto immediately tried to get up and promptly fell backwards with a shout at the pain it caused his entire body. He stared at Jack with puppy dog eyes he didn't know he was using. Jack took pity on him and helped him up, supporting most of his weight and pushing flush against his side. Jack... could get used to this. He'd love to have the opportunity to try. Ianto looked slightly up at the Captain offering a small smile as thanks, which was returned.
"Whoa, is that natural?" Jack thought silently. "It could not be possible for someone to have that piercing of eyes." He held the eye contact as he doted endlessly on Ianto's bright blue eyes, and after a while Ianto became more than a little uncomfortable. Ianto's eyes darted around wildly, trying to avoid Jack's, wondering when the hell he was going to let go of him. He could at least stand on his own, dammit! Okay, this was getting very awkward. Jack's breathing was starting to become more labored, which didn't escape Ianto's notice. How could it when Jack wouldn't even let Ianto an inch out of his grip? Ianto coughed slightly, trying to snap Jack out of his trance. Jack shook his head awake from what he had considered a very good daydream, focused back on what he was doing instead of what, or who, he wished he was. Slowly he let the man go, to Ianto's relief. Jack nodded towards the cogged exit, wordlessly telling Ianto that he was free to go.
Ianto smiled briefly at his captain. He knew he didn't sleep much. No matter how early in the morning Ianto arrived, Jack was already up, dressed, ready, and in need of some coffee. And Ianto arrived far earlier than the rest of the team. Still, Jack looked especially tired today. All of them did. It took a lot out of you to be nearly eaten, and Ianto couldn't tell if he would sleep horribly soundly tonight, or wake up every hour from a nightmare. Jack probably wouldn't sleep at all. Ianto hoped, selfishly that his time would be spent doing the vast amount of paperwork that this most recent excursion brought up.
Ianto limped away from Jack, but in the opposite direction of the door. Jack raised his eyebrow, then pulled it back down when he realized how much of an Ianto thing it was for his to do. Ianto could feel the look of confusion on the back of his head, and grinned slightly at it. Jack followed Ianto at a distance. That was the thing about Ianto. You never knew what he was going to do next. Jack wasn't used to this low level of predictability. Gwen had only been there for a few weeks and he still knew, She would come in exactly 4 minutes late, drink her coffee strong, but half sugar, and at any point there was an alien menace, her first instinct was to make nice. She was chart-able like the stars, but Ianto... Ianto was different. Jack thought he had him down. Come in a half hour early, make coffee, go to archives, make coffee, feed Myfanwy, make coffee, feed Janet, make coffee, go to the tourist booth, make coffee, go home a half hour late. But then, after Lisa, he realized it was all a ruse, to look like the model employee. He knew nothing of the man now.
Ianto arrived at his destination, the coffee machine. So he wasn't so unpredictable after all. That was Ianto's constant, coffee. Jack swore, Ianto was the only reason Cardiff hadn't fallen to ruin, seeing as he was the only reason the team managed to stay awake. Ianto stared with his special blend, Jack's favorite, the one who he would never tell the ingredients to. It was black, bitter, and piping hot. He finished in record time, handed Jack his cup with a smile, and began on Owen's blend, a bit lighter than Jack's and a good deal sweeter. He handed this to Jack, and gestured with a grim smile to the med-room. Jack rolled his eyes at becoming the delivery boy, but Ianto thought that was probably another on the list of Jack's role playing fantasies. He began on Gwen's drink, skipping over Tosh, who had already gone home for the day. Gwen's was half sugar, a quarter creamer and a dash of coffee. Ianto hated making coffee for Gwen. Nothing against her, but it felt like taboo to make such a childish and sweet drink.
Jack returned from delivering Owen's mug just in time to be shooed off with Gwen's. Ianto grinned his smug, small smile and began walking back across the room, back towards the archives, he had been in the middle of something when Jack had told him to pack his bags to go camping, making a specific point to tell him to bring some jeans, the pervert. He was hobbling as fast as he could hobble trying to get downstairs before Jack could notice and tell him to go home. Unfortunately for him, Jack was already on his way back up and, after taking a moment to chuckle at how ridiculous he looked, and another to check out his ass, he speed after him and caught him mid-step. Ianto groaned inwardly at both being caught and the slight pain that Jack had caused as he caught him around a bruise, Jack took in a fierce but quiet breath at Ianto's groan, even if he knew it was in pain.
"I thought I told you to go home, Yan." Jack said, taking on role of boss again, after he regained his composure. Ianto rolled his eyes.
"And do what exactly, sir? Not big on television, myself, and I was just in the middle of-" Ianto stopped himself in his mock innocent speech at the look on Jack's face. It was something like what his mother would give him when he avoided nap-time. Jack seemed to sense how old he showed himself to be, too, and let the face fall almost at once.
"Sleep Ianto. Please, you need it after what you've been through" It was Jack's turn to notice Ianto's face. A bit of his harsh and cold mask fell, to show something Jack had only seen once or twice on his face. Fear. Fear to go home alone, fear of the nightmares he was sure to have for the nights to come. But as soon as Jack hid himself, Ianto did the same. Jack still held his ground "Please, for me."
A weird look came across Ianto. Like he was considering what he had said. Like the only thing Jack had to say to get Ianto to do anything ever again was "For me". He deflated visibly and worked his way visibly to the doors leading to the tourist shop. He looked back only once and just barely saw Jack's relief that Ianto was finally safe.