This is dedicated to the wonderful Harrylee94 who editted this piece for me. She is the best friend in the world!
The saloon doors swung open and banged against the walls loudly making Ianto to look up from where he was cleaning the bar. The silhouette of a man was in the door. He looked tall and well-built but all he could see was the shadow as the light behind the man was making it impossible to see the features of the man's face.
The man walked into the bar, looked around and raised an eyebrow at the emptiness of the saloon before making his way to the bar where Ianto was still stood inspecting the new arrival to his establishment.
"Cactus wine; straight up" The stranger said to Ianto before taking a seat at the bar, "Where is everyone?"
Ianto grabbed the cleanest glass he could find, which wasn't very clean but then again no one ever seemed to really care as long as it was full of alcohol.
"Quiet day today, they're all out working in the mine a few miles over. There'll be a rush when they get off work though." Ianto said placing the drink in front of the man, "What brings you here then?"
The stranger grabbed his glass and took a long gulp before slamming it back on the counter and looking at Ianto who was leaning on the bar looking intrigued, "Passing through, on my way to Klondike. Hoping to find some gold out there." The man said before taking another long drink, "Won't find any of course but it'll get my ma off my back about getting a respectable job."
The man smirked as he said this and gave Ianto a look that said that it was a joke but there was definitely some truth behind it.
"Well, we get quite a few people who say that and none of them have come back. So, either they never found any gold and died out there or they avoided my saloon like the plague when they made their way back to sell their goods." Ianto said smiling at the man, it wasn't that often they got outsiders and Ianto loved to hear the stories of the rest of the country that the men often had to tell him.
"The name's Jack by the way," Jack said nodding his head at Ianto before draining the last of his drink. "it's quite a nice place you got here. Even if it is very quiet."
"Ianto. Maybe it won't be so quiet if you stick around for a while and meet the locals when they come back from mining." Ianto said picking up Jack's glass and turning to refill it.
"Then maybe I'll stick around,I'm in no rush." Jack said gratefully accepting the drink.
Jack started to drink his refil while Ianto moved off to clean up the bar just a bit further up, there'd been a fight the night before which had that left a lot of stains on the counter that Ianto was only just getting around to cleaning up. At least he had managed to clear up all the glass that had shattered last night as it would not be good for his only customer to get a cut from a stray shard.
"Ow!" yelled Jack. Ianto turned to him and saw that his hand was bleeding.
'Shit, I guess I missed a piece then.' Ianto thought before rushing over to press a towel to the injury before heading off to find something to cover it a bit more permanently.
He returned to his customer with a bandage and quickly reached for Jack's hand to try and wrap it up.
"Sorry, thought I'd got all the glass."
"Why is there pieces of glass here anyway?" Jack asked scowling at his hand before looking up at Ianto.
"Oh, there was a brawl last night." Ianto said like it was nothing before moving off to carry on trying to get rid of the mark before it stained his usually pristine bar.
"In a small town like this? I didn't think there would be much to fight about." Jack stated under his breath while watching Ianto scrub violently at the counter.
"Yeah well there was a bit of an issue concerning young love and disapproving parents." Ianto explained, "but generally you're right, I hardly ever have to deal with brawls around here."
"Kids these days," Jack said smirking into his glass, "can't say I wasn't wild in my youth though."
Both men chuckled at this before turning away from each other slightly. Jack downed the last of his drink and looked outside to see the sky beginning to turn a dark red colour.
"Think I best head off, got to find somewhere nearby to stay for the night." the visitor said standing up and reaching for some money.
"There are rooms upstairs if you want to stay," Ianto said, "They're pretty basic but they're relatively clean."
Jack seemed to consider this for a while before sitting back down at the bar, "Guess I'll have another drink then."
Resting his elbows on the counter-top Jack looked at Ianto's back as he turned to get him another drink. The bartender turned back and placed the drink in front of him before putting the rag he was using to clean the bar on a hook just off the right of the bar next to a door that looked like an entrance to a cellar of some kind.
Jack took long swig of his wine when a loud bang came from behind him that made him jump. He turned quickly to see a huge group of people spill into the bar who were all talking and generally being rather loud, Jack suddenly missed the quiet that had suddenly been disturbed.
"Hey Yan! Quiet day?" One man said as he leaned against the bar looking rather like he had made that particular stance at least a thousand times before.
"Hey Tommy, not too bad. Jack here's been keeping me company since you all decided to bugger off and leave me with no customers all day." Ianto responded in a teasing way, "Jacks on his way to Klondike, he's staying here for the night."
"Oh, off to make a fortune in gold then?" Tommy said to Jack who did not appreciate the mocking tone in his voice.
"Yeah well I don't want to waste my life doing boring old work like mining when you get barely any money for it anyway." Jack retorted back at the man before grabbing his drink and taking a gulp before turning to Ianto. "Hey, how much did you say it was for a room again?"
But before Ianto could answer Jack, Tommy seemed to realise that Jack was mocking him and his job and that that was not acceptable. The miner stalked towards Jack and drew back his fist before punching him straight in the jaw. The visitor was sent flying off his stool and onto the floor with a ground shaking thud, rubbing his jaw.
Not giving him a chance to get up,Tommy then started kicking Jack, kicking him with all his strength. Jack curled in on himself trying to protect his head and any other vital parts of himself, this did not work quite as well as he'd planned though as Tommy managed to land a kick straight to Jacks chest, the cracking sound was audible to everyone.
The cracking noise, along with Jacks yells, seemed to snap Ianto out of the trance he was stuck in as he ran around the bar and dragged Tommy away.
"Get out of my bar!"
There was silence in the bar as Tommy shrugged off the barman's hands, spat at Jack and swept out of the bar leaving the saloon doors swinging and forth in his wake. Everyone in the bar seemed to be frozenl, all still observing the scene next to the bar as Jack attempted to stand.
"All right show's over folks." Ianto said before helping Jack to his feet and leading him to a large armchair in the corner of the saloon.
"I seem to have all the bad luck here. First the glass and now this." Jack said trying to joke in an attempt to hide the fact that his ribs were killing him. "What will fate think of next?"
Ianto looked him over with a critical eye before seeming to come to a decision.
"There's a doctor one town over, but it's too late to take you to him now. Let's get you upstairs and into a bed. We'll sort you out in the morning." he stated before grabbing Jacks arm and hauling him up out of the seat and dragging him to the stairs.
"Claude," Ianto yelled into the crowd of people, "Man the bar for tonight for me. I'll pay you."
One of the men from the crowd started to walk towards the bar yelling, "Alright but you owe me." before climbing over the bar and preparing to serve any customers.
Ianto and Jack took quite a while to make it up the stairs. They had to make it slow as the jarring movement was hurting Jacks ribs as well as his muscles that were starting to protest from the beating they had taken from Tommy's boot.
Eventually they made it to the top of the stairs and Ianto guided Jack into the closest bedroom before lowering him to the bed and trying to help him get into the most comfortable position possible which, given the circumstances, was not very comfortable at all.
"You should go man the bar," Jack said wearily looking at Ianto with heavy eyes, "Shouldn't trust that guy, he'll probably rip you off."
Ianto chuckled and pulled the blanket over Jack before smoothing it out and tucking in the sides, "Don't worry about Claude, he's helped me out before. Good guy and he knows that I'll pay him well so he won't screw me over."
"In that case..." Jack started before looking away as if embarrassed.
"What?"
"Could you stay with me tonight?" Jack questioned, "It's just that I've heard that heat helps ease the pain of bruises and stuff." He looked away from Ianto's gaze, "I... I don't want to be alone."
Jack kept his eyes firmly on the bedsheets, ashamed that he was admitting that he needed help as well as scared that Ianto would not appreciate his advances, it was very much frowned upon for another man to lay with another of their own gender, even if not in the sexual sense. It just wasn't done.
Ianto looked at Jack and saw the insecurity in his face, "Sure, I'll have to leave quickly to lock up at closing time but, sure."
Jack looked Ianto in the eyes and smiled, "Thank you."
Ianto sat next to Jack on the bed as Jack's eyes started drifting closed. His body was tired from all the beating that it had taken in the last few hours.
Jack fell into a light sleep as Ianto kept and ear out for the sound of people leaving the bar downstairs. He hoped that Claude would just leave and not come up here to tell Ianto that it was time to close up.
The next few hours drifted by for Ianto, Jack's soft breaths and the distant sound of laughter was all he could hear. Then there was a sound of the doors swinging. People were finally leaving.
Ianto moved off the bed and walked downstairs, "Hey Yan," Claude said, "Hope that man's alright."
"Yeah he's not too bad." Ianto said as he pulled some money out of the till and handed it to Claude, "Thanks for the help."
"No problem." Claude said over his shoulder as he too left the bar, leaving it empty and very quiet.
Ianto moved towards the doors and shut them, locking them from the inside, after all he was staying for the night. After clearing up a few stray glasses and making sure everything was in order he quickly made his way back up to check on his guest.
As he opened the door he saw that Jack was trying to sit up in the bed, his eyes open wide and looking around frantically. Ianto sped towards the bed and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
The man nodded, "I didn't know where I was," Jack said in a small voice, "You weren't here."
Ianto looked at the man and saw just how scared he was, "I was just closing up downstairs, I'm right here."
Jack nodded and leaned his head against the Ianto's shoulder and let out a sigh, his eyes were already beginning to droop once again.
Ianto lowered them both to the bed and lay down next to Jack, "Just sleep, it'll be alright in the morning. We'll get you looked at by a doctor and you'll be on your way to Klondike in no time at all."
"You'll be here?"
He smiled, "Yes Jack, I'll be here."
"Ok night Ianto."
"Night Jack."