Title: Hitting the Ground Running

Fandom: Torchwood

Rating: Adult. Definitely adult.

Pairing: Primarily Jack/Ianto, with other secondary pairings

Chapter: 4/?

Word Count: 3908

Summary: AU. Majorly AU. Ianto Jones first encountered Torchwood as a teenager trying to leave his old life behind. However, when Torchwood Three gets rather violently restructured at the start of the millennium, he's got a new assignment in Cardiff. The only thing he wasn't prepared for was his new boss.


Disclaimer:
Torchwood does not belong to me, and I am not making any money off of this work of fiction. I'm just borrowing the characters with the promise to return them when I'm done.

A/N: (at end)

Chapter Four

In Which a Hostage is Taken, a Shower is Had, and Ianto Finds Out Something Shocking About His Boss

After that, life fell into a comfortable pattern for Ianto. Every Friday at noon he headed to London to spend time with Lisa, and every Monday at noon he came back into Cardiff to spend the week. The first few weeks Lisa had protested, but eventually she accepted the arrangement, realizing that working in two different departments the two of them wouldn't have been able to see each other much during the week regardless.

Of course, that meant that most of the weekend was taken up by frantic coupling, but neither of them minded. Ianto was tentative regarding his abilities as a lover, but since Lisa never complained, he never thought much on it. However, he often found himself wondering just how incredible Jack was in bed, and whether, if he hinted the enough, the other man might give him some tips on how to make his and Lisa's sex life a little more exciting.

It had been nearly a year, now, and while he was seeing Lisa more and more as the woman he wanted to spend his life with, he would be the first to admit that their sex life was, in a word, boring. He wanted to suggest something different, but he was afraid that Lisa would take it as an insult to her (which it wasn't, not by a long shot), so he kept his mouth shut.

He'd talk to Jack about it…sometime. At least, he would if he wasn't currently being held hostage by some sort of vaguely humanoid alien who decided that capturing the tea-boy was the best way to get to Jack (it was, of course, but what the alien didn't know was that Jack wasn't going to be the one dying today).

Of course, 'the one dying today' could easily be Ianto, at least if Jack didn't show up soon. Jack wasn't the type to go blindly rushing into a trap without proper preparation, but at the same time, he would have noticed by now that Ianto was never this late for work, and he'd come.

He would.

He'd better.

Ianto shivered, knowing that this wasn't a good sign. Apparently the vaguely-humanoid alien was also aquatic, and decided that the sewers were a good base. Unfortunately, Cardiff was currently in the middle of a wet spell, and the damp, chill air added to the sludgy muck he was chained up in weren't helping matters any. He could feel the cuffs chafing on his wrists and ankles, and no matter how hard he struggled it only served to make it more uncomfortable.

This was why he wasn't cut out for field missions, he reflected: all he could think about was how ruined his clothes were, and the denim of his jeans was soaked and felt like it weighed about fifty pounds. His hair was also wet and dripping from where the alien had dropped him face-first in the muck before chaining him up, and he had a splitting headache from being whacked with the muzzle of some sort of atom-destroying blast gun.

All in all, he was cold, wet and miserable and really hoping that Jack bloody Harkness would get his perfect arse over there to save him.

He stewed for another twenty minutes or so before the manhole cover above him clanged and the rescuing hero himself swept down into the sewer, RAF coat billowing around him rather impressively.

That is, Ianto would have been impressed if he hadn't been so annoyed.

"All right there, sport?"

"Don't patronize me," Ianto growled, and Jack held out his hand, displaying the remnants of the blast gun. "Sorted, then?"

"Sorted," Jack nodded. "A little cold, are we?"

"Sod off, you."

"Ooh, a little testy, too. C'mon, Mr. Jones," Jack keyed in a sequence on his wrist-strap and the cuffs clinked open, but when Ianto tried to stand he nearly ended up on his face. "Come on, Ianto. Let's get you back to the Hub and…out of those clothes," he leered, and Ianto glared at him.

The ride back was silent, but as soon as they had entered Jack started methodically stripping him down. He was too cold to protest, knowing that Jack wasn't about to try anything…not that time, at any rate, and soon he was standing naked in the darkness and relative warmth of Jack's bedroom. The other man grabbed a towel to dry his hair and directed him to lie down. "You want hot chocolate or anything?"

"Please," he stammered, and Jack nodded, draping a blanket around his shoulders before disappearing up the ladder. He was back soon with a steaming mug which he gave to Ianto, and while the young man all but gulped down the warm liquid he started to undress himself as well. "Jack, what are you…"

"Body heat," Jack gave him a significant look. "It's shared better with direct skin-to-skin contact."

"Okay," Ianto shrugged. He was too cold to worry about Jack's attraction to him, and he knew that with the state his body was in the last place blood would think of flowing to would be his groin. "C'mere, then," he motioned, glad that Jack had decided to leave his pants on as he climbed onto the bed and settled them under heavy blankets, wrapping Ianto firmly in his arms as he did so.

"Alright?"

"Yes. Thank you," Ianto said.

"Of course. But how did it get you?"

"Must have seen me going to and from work," Ianto reasoned. "Can't really think of anything else that would make sense, I'm afraid."

"So what can we do about that? If people are following you to work, if you're in danger…"

"I am not living in the Hub, Jack. I can take care of myself," Ianto said testily.

"I wasn't going to suggest that, believe it or not," Jack chuckled. "You're too sensitive, Ianto. All I wanted to say is that maybe I should give you some formal weapons training."

"I'd get to shoot a gun?"

"Don't sound so excited! But yes, you would. If you could help me out in the field even a little bit, that would be excellent," Jack admitted.

"Jack, you really need help…"

"I'm on it. Got a lead," he sounded smugly pleased. "Tall, curly-haired, dry wit to match yours. Name's Suzie. Suzie Costello. She's a firecracker, tough as nails. Just need to tail her a bit more and then I'll let you know."

"Excellent. We need somebody to help you out."

"But you know what that means," Jack looked disappointed. "You and I can't keep this up."

"Oh, like having somebody else around will stop you, you daft sod," Ianto ran his fingers through Jack's hair, massaging his scalp as Jack all but purred at him. "You can keep flirting. I won't mind."

"Okay. I will," Jack promised with a kind smile, reaching to kiss Ianto lightly, the other man allowing the contact for a few brief seconds before he pulled away. Part of him knew that this was dangerous; that one day neither him nor Jack would be able to stop, and how was he supposed to keep that from Lisa? However, the other wanted this; wanted something just a little unconventional and just a little risqué. And what was farther from his boringly ordinary life than having an immortal male lover?

Of course, he'd never betray Lisa like that…not as long as they were together, so he pushed the thoughts from his mind and shifted so that Jack was spooning him once more, hands still joined over his chest as he sighed and buried his face in the pillow.

"Sleep, Ianto," Jack said quietly, and Ianto nodded, feeling safe as he finally let slumber overtake him.

000

"Excellent. You're a natural, Ianto," Jack smiled at him, looking rather fetching despite the rather normally unflattering goggles and earmuffs.

"Yes, although it's a little hard when you're molesting me," Ianto said wryly.

"What, this?" Jack grabbed his hips and pulled him back again, and Ianto flipped the gun in his hand and held it to Jack's forehead.

"Remember: I'm the one with the gun. And I know you can come back, so don't tempt me," he warned.

"Aw, you'd never shoot me," Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist and held him tight.

"Of course not," Ianto lowered the gun before engaging the safety and sticking it in his pocket. "But it's nice having that power," he teased, letting Jack hold him. "So do you train all of your new recruits this way? Or am I just special?"

"Nope, not just you. Sorry," Jack quipped. "After all, I have to make sure you can perform under a bit of pressure…with a bit of a distraction," he shrugged. "Anyway, you're not a singer, are you?"

"I did some musical theatre in my youth, yes," Ianto nodded.

"I can tell. You breathe from here," Jack set his hands on Ianto's stomach.

"Yes, I can recall how many times our choir instructor told us to breathe from our diaphragms. But why is that important?"

"Steadiness. Untrained people breathe from up in their chests…the upper body moves, the gun moves. Simple as that," Jack still had his hands on Ianto's abdomen and they dipped lower almost unconsciously, moving outward to frame his hips. "So? Fancy some more field work?"

"If you need the help. I'm needed here to clean up your mess," Ianto had to remind him. "Go follow up with this Suzie and bring her in if you think she's right. It can't hurt."

"You're right. I will."

However, Jack didn't seem to be too inclined to move at that very moment, so Ianto tipped his head back to rest on Jack's shoulder and sighed. "I need to get going, Jack. Work to do."

"Right," Jack gave him one more squeeze before releasing him and stepping back. "Indian good for lunch?"

"Fine," Ianto nodded. "You'll get it?"

"Sure."

"Right, then," Ianto smiled at him before walking out of the shooting range.

000

"Absolutely not."

"Jack!"

"Absolutely not," Jack smirked at him. "I don't give away sex secrets, Mr. Jones. If you want them from me, you'll have to experience them first-hand."

"But Jack…"

"I know. Lisa," Jack looked a tad put-out. "Will she thank you for it? If you do?"

"I could never," Ianto shook his head vehemently. "I could never, Jack. Even if I wanted to…even if I wanted to…I couldn't keep it from her. It would eat away at me," he confessed.

"Oh, Ianto," Jack sighed and ruffled the young man's hair. "You'll figure out things on your own. You're a bright lad."

Ianto was hardly mollified, but he didn't press the issue, deciding to take Jack's word on it for now.

000

When Lisa claimed tiredness on his 19th birthday and went to sleep before he could even suggest anything, he knew that something was seriously wrong with their relationship. He and Lisa had been the best of friends before they got involved, so surely they could still carry on a conversation?

No. Apparently not. Lisa barely spoke the pleasantries needed to get through the day before rushing off with far too much enthusiasm for 'work.' In fact, Ianto even began to suspect that there was somebody else, but he'd never bring it up, knowing that if he was wrong and Lisa just believed he didn't trust her, they were over.

Still, the lack of intimacy was grating, and while he certainly didn't crave sex the way Jack did, being near her and essentially having a wall between them was getting him down.

And Jack was noticing.

000

"Have a good time in London?"

"Sod off."

"Ooh, testy, Mr. Jones. But surely Lisa got you something special for your birthday," he said lewdly, with a rather pointed eyebrow raise.

"For your information, Captain, it has been a month since Lisa and I even touched each other. Don't speak to me about that bloody woman right now," Ianto slammed down the coffee pot and sighed.

"Ouch. Sorry, Ianto. I thought…"

"That things were going well?" Ianto laughed ruefully. "You thought wrong," he groaned and looked up, causing Jack to wince. "That bad?"

"Your eyes are bloodshot, your hair is greasy, and you look like you haven't slept in a week. Take a shower and go to bed, Ianto," he said gently. "I can handle things here."

"As you wish, sir."

"Use my quarters. With the way you look I'll be surprised if you make it home without passing out."

"Yes, sir," Ianto was actually grateful that Jack had noticed, and as he stripped off his clothes and stepped under the warm shower spray, he felt marginally better. Every couple had dry spells, right? Lisa would come around. He was sure of it.

Movement outside the glass-walled stall made him pause, and he wiped some of the steam off of the wall with his hand before peering out and spotting Jack. Jack…who was steadily taking his clothes off. Ianto rubbed his temples, needing and not needing this at the same time.

In truth, he was tired of lusting after Jack. The other man was gorgeous, no questions asked, and sometimes Ianto wanted to take him up on his offer merely to get it over with and get him out of his head. His devotion to Lisa kept him from doing it, of course, but now that Lisa seemed to look at him like he was completely invisible, maybe he could get away with it in his own mind.

She'd never have to know. She'd never met Jack, and probably never would. She'd never…

He huffed a breath as Jack slid the door open and slipped in, pressing into Ianto from behind, and the young man could already feel how aroused the older man was. "Jack."

"Let me?"

"Yes."

"Really?" Jack sounded surprised.

"It's you or someone I don't know, and the second option doesn't appeal to me," Ianto quipped, keeping enough lightness in his voice that Jack would know he was just teasing.

"Gee, thanks. I feel so special," Jack slid his hands around Ianto's chest and pulled him back. "I've wanted this for so long."

"Me, too."

"Really?" Jack asked again, once more sounding shocked.

"Yes, really. You need to stop being so dumbfounded by everything I say. You practically reek sex, Jack. You honestly didn't think I'd ever…"

"No, I knew, but I didn't think you'd admit it."

Ianto could tell Jack was grinning, and he pushed back into him. "Well, are you going to show me some of those techniques you talked about, or are you just going to sta-ah," he groaned as Jack's soapy fist closed around his awakening cock and gave a firm pull, causing Ianto to shudder and brace himself on the wall with one hand.

"You were saying…"

"More of that, less talking," Ianto breathed out, trying to keep control for a little while, but with Jack touching him that way it was hard.

"Turn around," Jack urged softly, and Ianto obliged, finally getting a good look at Jack. He had seen him in the buff before, of course; Jack wasn't one to respect what normal people would call 'modesty,' but he'd never really looked.

"Gorgeous," he said without thinking, and Jack chuckled.

"That's certainly one of the kindest things I've ever been called. And go ahead. I won't bite," he promised with a toothy grin as Ianto finally unclenched his hands from their rigid position by his sides. He slid them up Jack's arms and around his neck, tugging the older man in for a kiss, and everything and more than he'd felt the first time they'd really kissed came rushing back to him, leaving him breathless and gasping as Jack pulled back. "Ready for more?"

"Yes, please."

"So polite. It's almost kinky," Jack sucked at his pulse, making Ianto tip his head back and groan, before the older man kissed down his sternum and took a nipple in his mouth, rolling his tongue around the bud and coaxing it to hardness while he achieved the same effect with his fingers on the other one.

"Yessss," Ianto hissed, never really having known how sensitive he was there. Lisa didn't tend to touch him much when they had sex, preferring to be the center of it all. Not that Ianto minded, really; he loved to love her body, but this…this was nice.

"Like that, do you? I've got some clamps down in my room if you ever want…" he let the sentence trail off, and Ianto gave him a strange look.

"Why do I get the feeling you've got a stash of sex toys in your room?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

"Because you'd be right," Jack smirked. "And get this: some of them haven't even been invented yet."

"You're a horrible man," Ianto sighed as Jack kissed and sucked at his nipples some more before continuing to move downward, his tongue dipping into Ianto's navel before he knelt on the floor and gazed up at him.

"Lisa ever do this?"

"She…tried. Didn't like it much," Ianto admitted, and he couldn't blame her…it wasn't like he could see the appeal and oh sweet mother of… "Guh," he very eloquently forced out as Jack licked a stripe from base to tip, his tongue rough against Ianto's sensitive flesh. "That's…"

"That is nothing," Jack assured him before nearly swallowing him whole, throat muscles working with practiced ease to prevent his gag reflex from kicking in.

Ianto whimpered, feeling foolish for the rather pathetic noise, but Jack seemed to like it, as he swallowed and started sucking in earnest, using his tongue and throat and just the barest scrape of teeth to get Ianto close.

"Ugh…Jack, I…"

Jack pulled back and looked up again, taking Ianto's lust-bright eyes, flushed face and chest, and water and sweat mixing and gleaming on his toned body. "God, you're like a wet dream," he said with a sigh, running a hand up Ianto's thigh. "Trust me?"

Ianto nodded, not really trusting his voice, but he let out a squawk of surprise when Jack pushed a water-slicked finger inside of him. It didn't really hurt, but it was the principle of the thing. Sure, he knew how men had sex, but he'd never…

"Oh, God, Jack!" he exclaimed as Jack's finger crooked and brushed his prostate, his vision almost whiting out. "Do that again!"

"My pleasure," Jack managed to wriggle another finger inside and stroked the sensitive bundle of nerves while his mouth closed over Ianto's cock again, not deep-throating him this time around but merely sucking the tip into his mouth and laving his tongue over the slit, making Ianto rock his hips. "Do it," he urged. "I promise you won't hurt me. Just do it."

Ianto didn't need urging, as his hands tangled in Jack's hair and yanked him forward, hips thrusting madly as his cock slid in-and-out of Jack's accepting mouth with obscene slurping sounds.

Biting back another moan, he tried to warn the older man when he was close, but the words wouldn't form, and he came with a sharp cry, continuing to pump his hips until he was too exhausted to do so.

Jack swallowed and let Ianto's limp cock slip from his mouth before sliding his fingers out and standing, and Ianto pulled him close and kissed him, tasting himself and Jack, and he hadn't any idea that it would taste so good. "You're incredible," Jack breathed against his face, and Ianto wrapped his arms around the other man and held him tight.

"Want me…"

"Only if you're comfortable. And it won't take long any way we do it, believe me," Jack smiled at him as Ianto reached to take the older man's rather impressive cock in his hand, stroking as Jack had done to him at the beginning.

Jack sighed and let his forehead rest against Ianto's shoulder, his hips pumping mildly until he muttered, "Go faster, Ianto," and the Welshman obliged. He soon came with a muffled grunt over Ianto's fingers, and the young man lifted his hand to his mouth experimentally, licking the cloudy fluid and trying to decide if he'd ever get used to the taste.

"You will," Jack said it like he knew, before taking Ianto's fingers and sucking them into his own mouth. And if that wasn't the most erotic thing he'd ever seen, Ianto didn't know what was. He pulled his hand back before kissing Jack softly, causing the man to gaze at him fondly. "So. Regrets?"

"None," Ianto said, and he was almost surprised to realize that it was true: he regretted nothing of what had occurred here. In fact, he would almost go so far as to say that he had needed it. "Thank you."

"Anytime. And I mean that," Jack patted his arse before shoving him back into the shower, and soon the two of them were sprawled naked together in Jack's bed. "So, my beautiful Welshman, learn any new tricks?"

"A few," Ianto blushed at the endearment but turned his face so Jack couldn't see it.

"Good," Jack shifted so that he was behind Ianto and threw a possessive arm over him, pulling their bodies together. "Sleep?"

"Yeah," Ianto agreed. "But it's the middle of the afternoon…"

"Doesn't matter. We'll wake up for dinner," Jack responded, kissing the back of Ianto's neck. "Now sleep. You need it."

"Yes, sir," Ianto agreed, his eyelids seemingly drooping of their own accord. A few hours couldn't hurt, after all.

000

Ianto woke up some time later and sighed, shifting himself into a sitting position and gazing fondly at Jack who was, to his surprise, still sleeping. Jack had told him once that he couldn't sleep without him, and while at the time Ianto had waved it off as some type of come-on, he'd come to realize in the few times he'd slept with Jack that maybe it was true.

He didn't know what horrors the older man held in his memory, but considering his rather prolonged life-span, he was betting that there were many. He ran a hand through Jack's hair softly before slipping out of the bed, pulling on his jeans and slipping his button-down over his shoulders without bothering to button it up.

Smiling down at Jack once more he headed up the ladder, planning on ordering some supper and making them a round of coffee. He stopped down to check his e-mails and noticed one from Lisa.

Frowning, the wonderful afterglow dissipating quickly, he clicked on it and read the message.

Ianto,

I'm sorry about last night. I really am bogged down with work and I know I neglected you this weekend when I should have spent every waking moment with you. I'll make it up to you; promise!

Found this when Yvonne had me slogging through the archives looking for some data on past major unexplained events in London. Imagine; me! In the archives! She's lucky I didn't move too much or else it'd never get back in order. Thought you might find it interesting, considering who you're working for.

I love you and I'm sorry. Again. I'll see you this weekend, babe. Looking forward to it! ;)

Much love and apologies,

Lisa

Ianto clicked on the attached article, dated 1897-1898, and skimmed through it, his eyes widening as he did so.

This wasn't good.

This was so not good.

Jack had some explaining to do.

A/N: Thanks again for all the comments on this story! It means the world to me :) Secondly, if anybody wants to read a transcript of what Ianto read in the e-mail, it can be found at community(.)livejournal(.)com/iantos_desktop/7735(.)html#cutid3. Just scroll down a bit through the first couple of letters; it's written in typeface and has the Torchwood logo at the top.