A/N: Set early season 2, maybe between KKBB and To The Last Man. Not sure.
Huge thanks to Galadriel1010 for beta-reading this for me. You're the best (:
Loud knocks on his door.
That was what made him wake up that night. He looked at the digital alarm on the nightstand; it read 3:27AM. It was okay, though. He knew who was knocking; he knew who could possibly be knocking at his door that late.
Ianto swung his legs off the bed and made his way to the door, switching on the lights of the living room, and leaving the lights of his bedroom off. At that time of the night, Jack could only be seeking for something that wouldn't need the lights on.
Ianto opened the door.
Jack was standing at his front door, his greatcoat damp from the rain that was falling outside, as well as his hair and cheeks. Oddly enough, he didn't seem to care about the dampness of his clothes and his self.
Neither of them said a word. Ianto hinted a faint smile on his face, waiting for Jack to take the lead. But Jack instead, on a whim, rushed towards Ianto and hugged him as tight as he could.
Ianto took a few seconds to react; the move was unexpected. Startled, Ianto hugged back, running his hands over the dampness of Jack's coat, tightening the embrace.
Jack buried his face in Ianto's neck and took a deep breath. It was soon followed by a sob, and tears started to wet the side of Ianto's face. Worried, Ianto tried to shift his position so he could see Jack's face, but Jack kept holding him tight.
Once, not a long time ago, Jack would knock at his door that late. One thing would lead to another, and that thing would probably lead to them having sex in his bed, with Jack leaving before dawn. That was normal, his normal, their normal. Jack never gave anything more than that. But Ianto never asked for more.
Now, things were slightly different. When the days were calm, they left early for dinner and Jack spent the whole night with Ianto. Some days there was sex involved, some days there was just talk. As time passed, touches at work were more frequent; they were more like a sign of affirmation, and sometimes comfort. Still, sometimes Jack would show up in his doorstep looking for sex. Ianto didn't mind, never showed it, or pretended not to.
Ianto held Jack as tight as he could. He knew that in a few seconds they would have to break apart, or they would both burst like party balloons. But Jack didn't do anything, just kept holding Ianto and tears kept falling freely, accompanied by small sobs. Ianto's heart was sinking with every sob.
He would be there, for as long as Jack needed him to be there. Whatever had happened to Jack, he knew that sometimes he couldn't have done much, or anything, to prevent horrible things from happening, nor even could Jack.
Ianto cradled Jack's head with a hand when he felt Jack loosen the embrace a bit and his breathing get steadier. He gently forced Jack to look him in the eye. With the other hand, Ianto brushed away the remaining tears still wet on the other man's face. Red-rimmed blue eyes stared at him. Jack remained quiet.
Ianto closed the already small space between them and placed a chaste kiss on Jack's lips. Jack kissed back, deepening it. It wasn't a sexual kiss full of desire, hunger, or lust. It was kiss full of understanding and love. If Ianto could take away Jack's pain, or whatever was causing this meltdown, with that kiss, he was going to be sure he had tried the trick. As the kiss lingered, Ianto felt his closed eyes fill with tears, but didn't break the kiss apart, nor shed the tears.
Jack was the one breaking away for air. Still entwined in the embrace, Jack ran a hand over Ianto's face, brushing his thumb lightly over Ianto's cheek. Looking deeply in Ianto's watered eyes.
'Why are you crying?' Jack asked hoarsely.
'I don't know.' He replied honestly, almost in a whisper. 'Perhaps the intensity of your hug broke me a few ribs.' He suggested. Both of them knew it to be a lie. Jack smiled faintly at Ianto's try for humour, running a hand over Ianto's hair with a look of admiration in his face.
'Come,' Ianto said, releasing himself from Jack's embrace, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers. 'Let's close this door, or we'll both become ice sculptures in a few minutes.' he added moving slowly, not letting go of Jack's hand, pulling him inside.
Once the door was closed, Jack pulled Ianto for another rib crushing hug, breathing deeply into Ianto's neck. Ianto didn't complain as he hugged back, passionately, hoping the hug could make everything better and the sorrow go away.
When they eventually broke apart from the hug, they headed to Ianto's bedroom, where Ianto carefully managed to get Jack free of his damp clothes and laid beside him in bed. They both remained silent. When they made love, it was sweet and gentle, like lovers do to comfort each other.
'Better?' Ianto asked when he felt Jack lay his head to his chest, resting a hand on the side of his waist.
'Will be,' Jack exhaled, calmer. 'Thank you.' Jack whispered after a few minutes, breaking the comfortable silence.
'Anytime.' Ianto replied truthfully, gently stroking Jack's hair as the older man drifted into sleep. He breathed out in relief as the rise and fall of Jack's chest set a slow pace.
Not so long ago, Ianto remembered, he was the one crying on Jack's shoulder as the older man held him tight, making everything better just by hugging him. That night, he hoped he made Jack feel the same way.
A small smile appeared on Ianto's face. He felt oddly happy to be the one Jack turned to for comfort on a night like that. Things were changing, and he didn't feel bad about it.