Title: Innuendo

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Jack/Ianto

Status: Complete

Summary: Post 2x02, "Sleeper." Jack and Ianto are in the hub after hours. More of a psychological piece on the workings of Jack's mind and pride than a sexcapade. There's a mention of the "just us, this room, for as long as it takes." So keep that in mind as you read.

It was quite seldom that the team ever had to clean up a gigantic mess in the actual hub. Theoretically, they always had Ianto to do the grunt work. But when it came to anything out of the ordinary, it had always been on location.

Not that day.

There had been an understated silence ever since Beth had been shot to the ground. Gwen and Jack had shared a few extra (and understandably awkward) glances before she was given leave, and Tosh and Owen proceeded to tuck her away in the morgue. There was no question. Beth was a partial human being worthy of such dignity. She would not go the way of so many aliens; she had practically become Torchwood, albeit for a short period of time.

The time had come and gone since, and although the hub was perfectly blacked out from the outside world, it was clearly close to midnight. As each team member had gone home, Ianto still sat hunched and fatigued in front of a monitor, his fingers mindlessly tapping away as he registered every event in precise, chronological order; just as the Captain would want it.

He had taken off his jacket long ago, his signature waist coat remaining, though unbuttoned, and his tie a bit looser. Jack had been stalking around back and forth, too restless to sleep and too diplomatic to pull Ianto away from his work.

When Ianto could barely keep another eye open, his head lopped back, appropriately falling into Jack's hand. He hadn't even realized what was tickling the hairs on the back of his neck. It had soothed him like a lullaby. Of course, once he registered this, he bobbed his head forward and went on typing like nothing had happened, even picking up a cuppa cold coffee to take a sip. Rubbish-tasting and possibly Owen's.

"You really don't have to do that, Ianto," Jack said, rubbing his hand on his own leg and crossing his arms across his chest from behind.

Ianto cleared his throat. "I'm glad to do it, sir. The night caught up very quickly this time…" He opened his mouth to speak more, but it was just hot air. He kept typing and typing with a strange calm within himself. That didn't take long at all. Once he finished, he saved every last word with one click and swiveled his chair around.

Jack's stance hadn't changed over the course of a few minutes. As Ianto rose to his feet, Jack's eyes shifted and he unhinged his arms and stuffed them into his pockets. He, too, was dressed down now, his braces off to the side.

Ianto shifted to the left to pick up his neatly folded jacket as he fumbled to button up his waist coat. "So I'll be back at the hub at six, sir. Is there anything more you'd like for me to do tonight, aside from clean up?"

Jack couldn't help but smile. According to his watch, the clock had just ticked past 12:33, yet there was Ianto Jones, always at the ready.

He shook his head and approached the considerably younger man. His hand touched his elbow and moved up to his shoulder, giving it an affectionate pat. "Just us, this room, for as long as it takes. That is what I said, wasn't it? Or what you said. Well… what I said, which you technically plagiarized—"

"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you've had quite the long day, don't you think you ought to get your rest?" Ianto smirked slightly, though he kept his composure and pushed an arm into one of his sleeves before brushing past Jack and clearing up loose papers and cups. Just as he said he would.

Jack didn't follow, though he leaned against a railing and watched as Ianto ran in and out of rooms with lightning energy, as if he never grew tired.

"Well, aren't you going to keep your end of the deal?"

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"You did say, for as long as it takes. I figured with a statement like that, you'd mean about now."

Ianto glanced up at the Captain and raised his eyebrows, his body following. He had been leaning over and collecting bits of filth from the coffee table.

"I thought waiting might have frustrated you, actually," he bumbled, glancing back at Jack as he slowly moved to the other end of the room.

"Believe me, I have time. This world has always been about how much time you're losing. I think, for me, the days just keep getting longer."

He approached Ianto and took a firm hold of his wrist, distracting him away from his maid work and stepping even closer. "Especially nights like these."

Ianto stopped what he was doing and gave his full attention, but he was still as quiet as a church mouse.

"Ianto…" Somehow or other, Jack didn't know what more to say. It grew eerily quiet, and finally Ianto spoke.

"Sir?"

"You know you aren't at work."

"Howdo I know that, sir?"

"Because I said so." Jack smiled, his eyes searing into the younger man's.

Ianto hesitated some. "Well. Does this mean I'm getting paid overtime, Jack?"

Jack smiled and responded quickly, his tone smooth and automatic. "It depends on what you consider overtime compensation, my clever friend."

"Well, I'm sure you could figure something out." Ianto shrugged and brushed his fingers over Jack's crisp, white t-shirt, a staple he'd seen so many times that he'd lost count. "You're the Captain."

"And don't ever forget it."

It was slow and easy, all of it. Moments passed before Jack hit Ianto full on with his enigmatic grin, and Ianto smiled back in his own little way.

Despite indiscriminate lines and bags under his eyes, he was the vision of youth beside Ianto. The Captain finally kissed him, though he was slow and languid and tired in his movements.

Ianto shuffled his fingers around the trash bag and Jack persuaded him to plop it down to the floor as he took his other hand and spread his fingers wide against his. Ianto barely moved as Jack began to undo the buttons down the younger man's waist coat. His chest sunk in and he spoke again, a hair above a mumble.

"Right. This is about what I figured you'd do, Jack…"

Jack chuckled, his lips against Ianto's smooth, ivory jaw line. He was soft to the touch and so familiar yet still a bit scandalizing. Jack breathed him in with a sigh and took his head on to his shoulder, running his fingers through the back of his hair. He was as horny as a dog but he stood like this as Ianto glanced back at the expansive, open hub all around him.

"Ehm… Jack… sir. What are you do—oh. Oh." Ianto hushed momentarily and nodded his head. This was all part of Jack's little game. "Oh, I see. You enjoy your little guise of unpredictably, like each night is a new innovative sexcapade of yours, while I see right through it. And this frustrates you."

Jack grunted and took a step back, though his hand remained around Ianto's neck. The younger man smirked, though Jack's pride could hardly be lessened.

"That isn't true. You're very mistaken, I might add."

"Am I? Then why are we just standing here talking about it?"

"I don't know, but you started it. I could have you retcon'd for that, you know."

"Not if I substituted said retcon for an Ibuprofen, sir." Ianto began to tidy up his waist coat as Jack laughed to himself. Before Ianto could even turn one button in, Jack stopped him.

"All right, fine. You've gotten quite good at this… clever spiel, as of late. I'm beginning to think I'm a bad influence on you."

Ianto raised his eyebrows but didn't say a word, still. Ianto knew perfectly well what Jack was referring to. If anything, he had been giving Jack a taste of his own heartless medicine. Even while Beth was alive and had been in earshot, Ianto had felt free to test his limits and, perhaps, wind Jack up; that Ianto Jones, far too intelligent and far too quiet for his own good.

Jack sighed and relented some. "I'm on to you Welsh – both you and Gwen. No wonder your city is rampant with weevils."

"I can see that predictability threatens you. It's funny what we can learn from each other." Jack shifted his weight slightly as Ianto spoke. "You tense up at the mention of predictability whilst having a lay with the same 'tea boy' night after night. What does that say about us, then?"

Jack chose his words wisely. "That I'm open minded."

"Open minded? You? Imagine what my mum would say if I told her I'm bedding an immortal space captain who runs amuck at any given time and shags an alien just as soon as that."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Both men smiled again, especially Ianto. "If it makes you feel any better, sir, you're still a complete mystery to all of us."

Jack took a well timed pause at that one before he nodded. "Actually, I think we're back where we started. Except now, it's your call."

"Says who?"

"Says me. And I do call the shots, don't I?"

"Yes, I suppose you do."

Ianto smiled wider and took a step forward as he took Jack into an unrelenting, deeper kiss. While the tea boy was coming on a bit stronger, then, you wouldn't see Jack complain.