A/N: The end is nigh (story, not world. Well, as far as I know, not world).
Disclaimer: Don't own Torchwood. Duh
OOOOOO
As Ianto stared at Jack's outstretched hand every bitter feeling, every unhappy memory, came flooding back. Here was the man who'd slept in his bed every night for four months. The man who'd made him weaken his defences and fall in love. The man who'd broken his heart and left him alone, feeling like he was worth less than nothing. And he was just stood there as if he'd been got a day, not a year.
Why did have to come back? Why couldn't he just go away and never come back? Life had got so much easier and now Jack was back again, opening old mounds, bringing back old pain.
"Ianto?" asked Jack, leaning closer.
Ianto was spared the need to reply by Tosh's sudden squeal of delight as she rushed over and flung her arms around Jack's neck.
"Hey!" said Jack, spinning Tosh round "You miss me?"
"Course not." joked Tosh as he set her down.
She pulled her mobile from her pocket and dialled a number.
"Get up here right now… Yes I know you're busy but this is important… I don't care Gwen, you'll want to see this."
As Tosh talked, Jack turned back to Ianto and offered him his hand once more but Ianto shuffled away and pulled himself up using the desk instead. For a moment Jack's eyes shone with hurt but then he blinked and it was gone, replaced by his usual smile. By now Tosh had finished her phone call and she grasped Jack's hand and pulled him over to Gwen's desk and sat him down in her chair.
"As soon as Gwen and Owen get here you are going to tell us exactly what happened." Tosh commanded.
Jack opened his mouth as though to protest but changed his mind at the look on Tosh's face and closed it again.
"I'll get some coffee." said Ianto simply, once again pulling the façade of a dutiful servant around him, hiding behind the mask of the silent man he used to be.
Straightening his tie, he strode away to the kitchen and started to make coffee.
The kettle clicked behind Ianto's back but he didn't pour it. He was too busy collecting damp tissues off the work surface. In the space of mere minutes he'd managed to silently get through a whole box of the stupid things. Brushing a small piece of fluff off his jacket cuff, he made up four mugs of coffee and carried them over to the group gathered around Jack. Sliding them onto the desk next to Tosh, he backed away once more and hurried away, seeking the refuge of the cells.
Leaning against the door of one of the cells, he watched Janet as she stared at him from the other side of the glass. Resting his forehead against the cold glass, he heard someone enter the room behind him.
"Tell Jack I'll be up in a minute." Ianto said, assuming it was Tosh or Gwen.
He jumped slightly as someone laid a hand on his shoulder. Turning round he saw it was Jack and pulled himself out from under his fingers.
"Why do you shrink away from me?" asked Jack, hurt etched into the lines on his face.
"I don't know. Why don't you tell me? You know everything." said Ianto, backing away, not trusting himself to not start crying again.
"I think you're upset."
"Why should I be upset? I mean, what possible reason could the tea boy have for being upset?" asked Ianto quietly.
"You're not just a tea boy, Ianto."
"I will be now you're back. It'll all go back to the way it was. I'll be shunned away into the shadows and Gwen and Owen and Tosh will all forget I exist. You'll see."
"I won't let that happen. I want you to be part of the team"
"But I won't be will I. You don't want five on a mission. Four's enough, so who needs Ianto?"
"You don't believe that do you? You're not angry about being shunned, you're angry about me leaving."
"No I'm not. I don't care what you do."
"Yes you do. You're nearly crying. Don't you dare tell me you don't care." cried Jack "You care more than you've ever cared about anything before."
"Well. If you know that, then why did you leave in the first place?" stormed Ianto, finally losing his cool.
"I had to." said Jack, his voice barely more than a whisper "I didn't want to hurt you. You have to believe me."
"I don't have to believe anything you say, Jack Harkness. You've… you… you're…" Ianto struggled to find words bad enough to say what Jack was.
There was silence as Ianto glared at Jack, his eyes conveying the words he couldn't say. Jack took the opportunity to reach out place a hand on his cheek. Ianto's eyes closed as an electric feeling spread across his body at Jack's touch.
"I came back for you." murmured Jack, stepping forward so he was barely inches away from Ianto.
Ianto's eyes snapped open as Jack ran a finger over his lower lip and for a moment Jack could have sworn Ianto was about to hit him, or worse, just walk away. Instead Ianto took a step forward and laid his head on Jack's shoulder, slipping his arms around Jack's waist.
"I missed you." Jack whispered, running a hand through Ianto's hair.
"Not enough to not leave." mumbled Ianto into Jack's shoulder.
"But enough to come back. I just wanted to be normal."
"Are you normal?"
"No. We couldn't find a way." there was a hitch it Jack's voice as though he was barely preventing himself from crying.
"Does it bother you that much? That you'd just get up and leave without a word. When you knew how much it'd hurt all of us."
"I hate the fact that I can never spend my whole life with someone. I can't spend my whole life with you."
"Who says I would spend it with you anyway." joked Ianto, trying to lighten them mood, all the time aware of how easily he had given in to Jack.
Jack laughed quietly at Ianto's words "Then walk away."
Ianto sighed, the bitter feelings he had felt a few minutes ago all but buried "Always so cocky."
They stood in silence for a few moments, both unsure what to say.
"What do we do Jack?" whispered Ianto "We can't go on like this. You broke my heart. How do I know you won't do it again?"
"You don't. You have to take the risk."
There was silence again as Jack held his breath, waiting. Ianto stepped away from Jack.
"I don't know." he said, running his fingers frustratedly through his hair, making it stick up at weird angles "Aww, sod it."
Ianto strode forward and pressed his lips gently to Jack's. Jack began to undo the buttons of Ianto's jacket but Ianto pushed his fingers away, shaking his head.
"Too soon?" asked Jack, looking slightly upset.
"No. It's just, well, I know it sounds silly but I can't have sex in front of a weevil."
OOOOOO
A/N: What do you think? Rubbish ending I know but it's eleven at night and I'm tired.
