Jack Harkness had been back for only an hour and already he had been acting as if everything was back to normal. Like nothing was wrong. Like nothing had changed. Like he hadn't just abandoned the team with no notice and return nearly a year later just the same way.
Ianto wouldn't have that. Especially after the way Jack said it: "I came back for you." Like Ianto even cared if Jack came back for him; after Jack left him after announcing to the entire Torchwood team their relationship with that kiss. It wasn't fair. Ianto was angry. He was furious. And now, when Jack found Ianto alone, the way he acted made it worse.
"Come on, Yan, I'm sorry." Jack whispered into his ear after sneaking up on him, wrapping his arms around Ianto's waist, pinning him between Jack and the desk he was working at down in the Torchwood archives. Ianto was restraining himself from breaking his arm in order to remove himself from Jack's hold.
But, Jack thankfully sensed Ianto's tenseness and let go. Ianto turned around and glared at him. You left me, Ianto's eyes pleased.
"You left us, Jack." He said firmly.
"I'm sorry, Ianto, but I had to go, I—"
"No, don't tell me – some fucking goblin showed up, put a gun to your head and said 'Oi, get in the bloody car' or whatever the fuck you said you travelled in." Ianto snapped. Out of his usual persona, he knew, but he had a year's worth of angst on his chest.
"Ianto, I'm sorry – but I needed to go. What's important now is that I'm back here; with you. I saw the end of the world, Ianto, and the only thing I regretted was not telling you how important you are to me." Jack whispered as he inched closer to Ianto, slipping his hands around Ianto's waist again. Jack was about to press his lips against the teaboy's but –
"What about Gwen?" Ianto said smugly, not even flinching at how close their lips were.
"Gwen? What about Gwen?"
Ianto closed his eyes, pressing his palm against Jack's chest, pushing the man away. Jack was playing innocent, and Ianto hated it.
Gwen. The sweet brunette. The innocent new girl. The clueless girl who had no clue what she was doing after Jack left, until Ianto intervened. Gwen, who, until he found out she was newly engaged since he left, Jack was infatuated with, and wasn't ashamed of showing it. Even in front of Ianto.
"You know what, Jack? Don't touch me, until you're able to answer that question yourself." Ianto said, walking away from Jack. Then he turned back for a second to look over what had abandoned, and what he was now abandoning. "I wish the goblins would really take you away. Right now." Then he turned to walk out of the room.
"Ianto—"
He was pleased to hear Jack calling after, until he stopped abruptly. "Jack," He turned and peered back into the room. He walked slowly, looking between the parts in the shelves, thinking Jack was up to his stupid games again. "Jack, just stop it."
Then suddenly there was a flash and out of nowhere came an owl flying through the air. "What the hell‽" Ianto screamed, ducking out of the way. He could have sworn everything in this section of the archives was stable, so there was no explanation for this except Rift activity, but Tosh would have known about it.
Then, the owl seemed to be shifting it's form, and what appeared was a tall blonde man in need of a haircut and a charter bus back to the 80s.
"What's going on? Who are you?" Ianto asked, praying that the thing spoke English.
"I am the Goblin King. You summon my subjects, you summon me." He spoke fluidly, grinning at Ianto. "A bit old to be asking for wishes now, aren't you?"
Then it clicked in Ianto's brain. "Wait-there actually are goblins?" He asked. The king just rolled his eyes. Ianto carried on. "So... where's Jack, then?" He asked.
"He's in my castle, a nasty little thing;" The Goblin King held out a shining crystal ball towards Ianto, showing him an image of Jack in what looked like a castle, stone walls behind him. "He keeps flirting with my guards. Has he always had an affinity for such ill creatures?"
Ianto rolled his eyes now, exasperated. "Don't even get me started."
"But, now, if you don't get him back from my castle within – oh, you look like an alright chap – 8 hours, he'll be mine."
By the looks of the Goblin King, I don't think Jack's gonna mind, Ianto thought, but shoved the idea aside.
"How do I do that?" He asked. The king smiled wickedly, then turned an pointed through a portal behind him, glowing golden-yellow, and through it Ianto saw a labyrinth between himself and the castle spoken about.
Ianto knew that by the look of the king, he knew he'd have to go through a lot of hardships to get through to Jack, but he knew Jack was worth it. Jack helped him through so many things, Ianto owed him as much. Jack was clueless in a lot of ways, but he knew when to do the right thing, and he taught that to Ianto.
Ianto looked at the Goblin King, who was smiling, juggling his crystal ball.
"I'll do it."
