Jack's heart lurched and his stomach clenched uncomfortably as Rhys was made to stand by Gwen, while Ianto was left behind with a gun leveled at his head. Jack's eyes tightened, sympathetic to the emotions Ianto must currently be experiencing, fear surely being the most prevalent.
Oh, Yan, Jack thought. I can't lose you. Not now, and certainly not like this. I just got you back.
Ianto did his best to control his body's shaking while trying to loosen the rope tying his hands together. If it weren't for that, his attention would have been focused solely on Jack, and then he wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything.
I'm sorry, Jack, he thought desperately. I know what this will do to you. But you're strong. You'll make it. You can survive anything. After all, you're Captain Jack Harkness.
Working frantically, yet without making it seem like he was doing anything, Ianto felt the rope slip off, silent as the grave. At the same moment as he freed himself, Dale pulled the trigger. Instead of feeling a bullet rip and tear at his insides on impact, Ianto watched helplessly as Rhys threw himself in front of Gwen, shielding her with his body, only to crumple in a heap at her feet. That was all Ianto took time to notice before he was off, chasing after the people responsible for a mess that now Torchwood had to clean up.
When Ianto caught up to Dale and his associate, it was to find them rummaging through a safe, collecting what money they could before making a run for it. Quickly stunning one, Ianto approached Dale with measured steps, trying to instill fear in him before the end came.
"Pray they survive," he said, tone steely as he recalled that split-second before he ran, locking eyes with Jack and the abject terror in them – not just for his own personal safety, but for his entire team.
No one gets away with making Jack worry, he thought determinedly, No one.
His business complete, Ianto made his way back to the place where the alien was being contained, only to find Jack standing in a puddle of its blood, a hand raised as though to offer it comfort. Although Ianto wanted to go to him, he sensed that Jack needed to work things out for himself.
And he was right – partly. Once back at the Hub, Jack's mask had slid back into place and he was all business as usual. Currently, he was ordering Gwen to drug Rhys, thus causing him to forget the impossibly fantastic things he'd seen.
Personally, Ianto didn't want Rhys shut out. It helped having someone on the outside who understood what Torchwood was about. That was one of the reasons they'd recruited Gwen, wasn't it? As such, he was proud of her for standing up to Jack. He loved Jack dearly, but he occasionally needed to be brought down a peg or two.
Ianto subtly watched Jack for the rest of the afternoon, observing as he hid away in his office, scrutinizing the CCTV. He knew what Jack was doing – spying on Gwen with Rhys. Ianto saw the way Gwen and Jack were around each other – the little touches, the sideways glances. And it hurt, however much he tried to pretend otherwise. Though he'd accepted long ago that Jack was a natural-born flirt, he couldn't help but wish that what they had was exclusive. He loved Jack, more than he'd ever thought possible. But he was tired of only being an option in Jack's life, whereas Jack would always be Ianto's only priority.
Later that night, Ianto was still at the Hub, filing some paperwork. Jack hadn't left yet – if he ever did – and Ianto refused to budge until otherwise ordered. Slowly making his way to the kitchen, Ianto decided to make Jack a pot of his miracle brew, as everyone on the team had dubbed it. Jack practically lived off of the stuff, and Ianto always wanted to be there to make his existence as smooth as possible.
"I brought you some coffee, sir," said Ianto politely, presenting Jack with a steaming cup of the hot liquid.
"Thanks, Yan," said Jack, smiling appreciatively up at him. "And you can drop the 'sir.' It's just us."
"As you wish," he replied evenly, though his shoulders noticeably relaxed – well, at least to Jack it was noticeable.
Jack stood, making his way around the desk until he and Ianto were facing each other. "How are you?" Jack asked in all seriousness.
"I'm fine," Ianto replied, smiling reassuringly back at him.
Apparently, his answer wasn't good enough, as Jack abruptly pulled him into his arms. Ianto acted instinctively, burying his head in the crook of Jack's neck – a perfect fit. Jack responded in kind, and this was how Ianto discovered that the immortal was crying.
"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately sensing that things were about to come to a head. "Jack?"
"God, Yan," Jack choked out. "I almost lost you today. There you were, at gunpoint, and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't get between you and the bullet … there was nothing I could do."
"I would never ask you to do that, Jack. I knew what I was signing up for. Everyone does when they join Torchwood. Being threatened with a gun is just part of the job. Occupational hazard, remember?"
Jack gave a throaty laugh. "It was like …" he pulled away, scrubbing absently at his face to erase the evidence left from his crying jag. "It was like I was back in the war. I'd convinced my best friend to join me, only we got captured. Our interrogators made him the target, as they believed him to be the weaker of us. They made me watch while they tortured him. They killed him, and then let me go. That could have been you today, Ianto. Do you understand? That could have been you."
By this time, he had a firm grip on Ianto's upper arms, and was practically shaking him. Ianto had never seen him so crazed before.
"Jack, calm down," he pleaded. "I'm here, I'm alright. I'm fine, Jack. Do you believe me? I'm fine. Yes, that could have been me, but it wasn't. Okay? Shh …"
Holding Jack close to his chest, he swayed back and forth, desperate to provide Jack with some semblance of comfort. Meanwhile, Jack's sobs shook both of their frames, and Ianto was sure that the suit he was wearing would be ruined by morning, what with the tear stains Jack was leaving behind. Not that Ianto begrudged him anything. Heaven only knew that he was willing to sacrifice more than a suit for Jack's sake.
Jack pulled away suddenly, looking at Ianto through puffy eyes as though he were seeing him for the first time. Maybe he was. They hadn't really talked properly since the night of Jack's unexpected return. And they'd yet to go on that date he'd been promised.
"Yan …" Jack croaked. "Kiss me? Touch me? Please, do something so I know that you don't hate me for putting you at risk."
Ianto gaped at him, horrified. Did Jack honestly think that he – or anyone on the team, for that matter – could ever hate him?
"How can you possibly think that, Jack?" asked Ianto at last.
"Well, let's see," Jack began, regaining some of his old spark. "First, I treat you like shit and I kill your girlfriend. Then I almost get you killed during your first field trip. I use you, I leave you, and I hardly offer any sort of an apology for my behavior. Am I to understand that after all of that, you don't feel an ounce of hatred for me?"
Ianto pretended to consider all that Jack had listed. "Nope," he said, shaking his head. "I love you. That cancels out everything else."
Only after the words had left his mouth did Ianto realize what he'd just done – he'd confessed his love for Jack without any authorization to do so. They weren't exclusive, he reminded himself. He wouldn't blame Jack if he was continuing to sleep around while still shagging him. He was probably nothing more than a convenient fix to Jack's primal urges, after all. Surely Jack could do better than him. He couldn't mean nearly as much to Jack as Jack did to him. Could he?
Turning his back, he said, somewhat stiffly, "I'll be going, then … sir," only to stumble over the formality as he fought to regain composure.
"None of that, Yan," said Jack firmly. "No running, not from me – please."
Sighing, Ianto spun on his heel, sure that at any moment he would be fired. It was fine for the boss to come on to his employees, but for the employee to make a move was bad – worse than bad, actually. "Do you want me to take it back?" he whispered.
"Not unless you didn't mean it. Do you mean it, Yan? Do you love me?"
Taking a steadying breath, Ianto braced himself to meet Jack's eyes. If he wanted the truth, then the truth he would get. "More than my own life," he stated simply.
Jack gasped at the utter devotion evident in Ianto's voice and posture.
Forging on ahead, Ianto continued, "That's why I could never blame you for what happened this afternoon. I didn't view it as you putting me at risk. If anything, I saw it as me putting myself at risk for you. Everything has always been, and will always be, for you, Jack. And that is never going to change."
The next thing Ianto knew, he was being crushed to Jack's chest, and said Captain was desperately kissing every inch of him that he could reach, namely his neck. Soon enough, though, he moved on to Ianto's lips. There was a hunger to these kisses that hadn't been there before. And Ianto relished this change, for it showed him a new side to the illusive Jack Harkness.
"Yan …" Jack murmured against his now-flushed cheeks, similarly to that afternoon when he'd been held at gunpoint.
"Yes, sir?" Ianto replied, purposely using the formality, knowing all the while what a turn-on it was for Jack.
Speaking of ... Jack practically growled at him. Moving backwards, their lips attached all the while, he guided them towards the hatch that led to his bunker. Ianto went willingly. Who wouldn't when Jack was being so possessive? Not that Ianto would ever say, but that was a real turn-on for him.
Somehow, they made their way down the ladder and found themselves falling into Jack's bed together, a tangle of limbs, clothes tossed haphazardly aside. It wasn't long before they were calling the other's name as they reached their climax.
Afterwards, as Ianto lay on his back, Jack propped himself up on one arm and began tracing intricate patterns on Ianto's bare chest. Shivering slightly, both from the gesture itself and its intimacy, Ianto turned to face Jack. He was struck by the tenderness reflected in Jack's normally impassive steel gray eyes. Acting on instinct, Ianto moved to cup Jack's cheek in his hand, reconnecting their lips.
It was at this time that Jack chose to say, "I love you too, Ianto."
Ianto stilled his movements, just for a moment, before kissing Jack back with a renewed passion. That night was the start of something new for the pair, something that neither time or space, nor life or death would ever be able to destroy.