Note: Told ya'll I was going to get to work on this, thought I have to say it took me a little longer to write then I thought it would, work kept calling me in on my day off. Any who here is your next chapter.
Warning: Once again I have to say it contains Jack...
The time when worlds start to meet.
It had been a long day, longer then usual at least because every day always seemed to go on for eons and there usually wasn't a end in sight. Oh but today had been longer then a great many of those days, so many things had gone wrong and now Ianto was dragging a exhausted Jack back to his flat for rest.
The immortal had suffered far more injuries then usual, he had gone running towards the front line and in this case in front of the lasers shooting directly at them. He was sure there had been a few deaths hidden in between the gleeful cackling Jack he been issuing while in a fire fight.
Sometimes that man was more then a little insane, and considering how the others were looking at him when they finally got the last of the rebel group gathered up and sedated so they could then be locked up, it was a good thing that all the manic energy was finally gone.
Jack was dragging his feet as Ianto helped drag the man along, he had even been allowed to drive for once, because the other male usually wouldn't let him liking to drive like a crazed loon all over the place, but his eyes had been dropping when they got to the Hub. Something everyone all but cheered about, well not cheered so much as gave a sigh of relief that it was finally over.
If Ianto had any say he would have to pin the blame for all this on the Doctor and the message Jack had received before the entire thing started, and if Ianto had to put up with the Doctor showing up randomly he was going to have a few words to say to his boss about warnings and how they are nice.
Guest popping in with no prior warning was one of the few things that irked the Welshman to the point of bringing out instant, especially if it was known they were coming and there was no word passed down to him to get ready.
"Your mad about something." Jack stated suddenly and out of the blue, his voice was gruff and Ianto was betting on the other wanting coffee as soon as he got to his flat. Something else he had convinced the captain to do, Ianto hadn't wanted Jack to stay at the Hub alone in his little man cave, if it could even be called that as sparse as it was, after the last couple days he had.
A break from Torchwood, even a small one, would do him some good, and if Ianto managed to wiggle out the truth of what the Doctor had sent then all the better.
"Why do you think I'm mad about something sir?"
"The speedometer has been a steady 75 the entire time we've been driving, and you have a far away look in your eyes, well that and you've been calling me sir." With that the captain glanced over slightly before plowing on, "Have I done something else to warrant Decaf because I have to tell you that no matter how good you are at making coffee its not the same."
"You should have thought of that before you put my phone on speaker." Ianto stated dryly as he looked over towards the other male who grinned tiredly back at him, his face was more relaxed then Ianto had seen in a long time which in turn earned the captain a soft grin back. "I'm just worried about you is all. The manic energy was truthfully disturbing sir."
"It was a little much." Jack agreed quietly as he leaned towards the window his eyes peering out the window with little thought, or so it seemed Ianto saw the brewing storm and wondered what it was that had Jack so bothered.
"You're still on decaf for another three days." Ianto said after a moment of silence, the quiet was odd when Jack was about and if anything he wanted to try and get the other male from looking so tiered.
"I thought it was a month." ah, there was a excited look and a more lively gleam in those eyes then that which was brought on by the almost insanity he thought had gripped his lover, erratic behavior did not suit the other male and it had worried everyone else.
It was a unspoken rule that when Jack got like this it was up to Ianto to fix it, Gwen had tried once to cheer the elder male up only to be all but snarled at. Since then it was always up to Ianto who could usually have Jack bright eyed and bushy tailed in about two hours give or take how serious the problem was.
"A few days were taken off each time you died." Step one was to have the promise of good coffee.
"That many then?"
"So it would seem." Ianto answered quietly as he finally, after what seemed to be an age, pulled into the parking lot in front of his flat. Now all he had to do was pull the other male up the stairs and get him into bed, which was part of step two and three.
Well to be truthful that had never been too hard, it seemed that man had a built in locator for the nearest surface he would pin Ianto to without getting into too much trouble with the Welshman, and his bed seemed to have a special frequency because Jack always homed in on it when they were here. Maybe it was because of the red silk sheets Ianto tried to keep on his bed when he had a inkling it was going to be a hard couple of days, and or week.
His gut usually wasn't wrong and this week it had been spot on, so he was glad he had the fore thought to change his bed, which had been rather difficult because Jack had been in the flat right along with him and the sight of the red sheets always seemed to conjure up devious thoughts.
So it was with a quiet sigh that Ianto unbuckled his seatbelt, exited the car and walked around the front to wait for Jack because if he even tried to help the man out of the car, even though he helped him into it, there would be pouting and whining, so what he would have to do was improvise.
"I just realized that I get to have my favorite Welshman all to myself tonight." Jack said with a grin as he walked over, his feet still scuffing the ground lightly but it didn't stop him from trying to wind his arms around Ianto, energy seemingly returning from no where.
"Oh really?" He asked deftly stepping out of the way of the searching hands, a slight smirk making its self known as Jack pouted for a moment, "Here I thought I was all my own, why I didn't know I was going to have to share myself." Another wide groping of hands that were sidestepped, a quick glance behind him to check on the stairs.
"Don't start that game with me Jones Ianto Jones, you know I will finish it!" Jack all but growled as Ianto quickly made his way up the stairs, which was fine with Ianto, because that meant even though the immortal was dead tiered, he was still up for a chase.
Maybe the energy from that past couple of days were fueling him as the elder male ran up the stairs after his lover who was already at his door trying to unlock it and be inside before he was caught.
Not that it worked, when Jack really wanted to he sure could run, he thought idly as hands whipped him around and dragged him closer.
"I may be tired but never that tired," this earned a soft snort of amusement as Ianto leaned back pulling the other male with him towards the door.
"Well sorry sir, but the way you've been shuffling around one would think you were a old man, and you know how hard it is for older gentlemen to get it up so to say." Ianto whispered tilting his head to briefly nip at Jacks lower lip resulting in another growl, which he took as his cue to get his door open as fast as possible.
One of these days he would ask about the mans tendency to growl, but in all honesty he didn't care much because the more the elder male growled the more likely he was to nibble and mark, which was a rather pleasant process is he didn't say so himself. Maybe it had something to do with the 51st century to go with the enticing pheromones the man could produce when ever he wanted.
As it was Ianto had barely enough time to open his door and drag Jack in behind him before he was caught up in a searing kiss, one hand tugging at one of the blue bracers the other was wearing, and Ianto could feel the burning path Jack's hands were making as they gripped at his hips.
All things considered it was a rather nice start to the night that was swiftly and suddenly shut down by a soft clearing of a throat that was like a bucket of ice water being dumped over the two.
Yet another growl was issued but this time it was due to Jack being unhappy and unusually wary a oddly endearing and possessive thing that was slowly but surely cropping up in his usual behavior. For someone who flirted with anything that moved if Ianto so much as thought of doing the same the poor soul would be ripped to pieces in a moment.
"And just who are you?" Ianto who took the moment to move from his place where Jack was caging him in, strong arms that had moved from his waist to go on the wall on each side of his face.
"Rhi what are you doing here?"
"I can't come check up on my little brother?" Ianto groaned before pushing lightly on Jacks chest, which earned an amused grin from his sister when the man didn't move for a moment before shifting only slightly to let Ianto away from the wall.
"Admit it you're snooping." the male accused before glancing over at Jack who was still standing stiffly, so much for Ianto's plans to get the captain back into a good mood. "Rhiannon meet Jack," at this he elbowed Jack lightly in the side earning a disgruntled look in turn, "Jack meet Rhiannon, you know the sister you so kindly put the phone on speaker for."
This changed the entire stance of the other male who relaxed his frame, no longer blocking the way to Ianto, before he put a rather dimpled grin on his face.
"Oh, sorry about that, Captain Jack Harkness," a swift movement of feet and Jack was taking Rhiannon's hand and kissing it lightly. "It's been a long couple of days and I was rather worried someone had made their way here to try and get Ianto, I would have never been so rude to such a beautiful lady otherwise."
"Oh you picked up a charmer that's for sure!" Rhiannon huffed as the other male moved away, and back to his lover before briefly leaning down to whisperer.
"I'm going to go ahead and tuck in, I must be more tired then I thought I was so you two can talk in private."
"Jack..." Ianto started before nodding lightly watching his elder lover walk away with another grin towards his sister.
"You two have a nice chat then."
"Not in a talkative mood then I take it?" She asked as she moved to sit back down on the couch where for the past couple hours she had been shifting through the picture albums laying about the flat, Rhiannon hadn't meant to snoop but there wasn't much to do and she wasn't going to touch her brothers Journal.
Well...not yet at least, she would though if she couldn't pry a few juicy details out of Ianto and he knew it.
"Work has been rather stressful," Ianto said quietly before glancing about, it was awkward to be seen like that by his sister, and he knew how it had looked when they came in the door, Jack was anything but a passive lover. "What are you doing here Rhiannon, its not like you to just visit with out a warning at least."
"I waited three bloody days for you to call me back Ianto!"
"Sorry I didn't know I had to call you back in a specified time, and as I have just said work has been stressful." Now this was something to worry about, if there was something that worried her enough for her to take the trip down to Cardiff for not calling three days it was big. "What had you so worried?"
"I hardly ever hear from you, and when I do talk to you its about nothing at all and not even for that long. I had to hear about where you really work from a friend! I had to hear that you were dating someone new from a friend! Ianto I'm your big sister and its my job to worry."
"If I had known you being a elder sibling entitled you to know everything little thing about my life I would have told you." Ianto calmly and quietly stated with as much venom as he could muster, if he wasn't going to be able to relax Jack how he usually would he would be damned if he woke the other male if he actually got to sleep with out him. " My relationship with Jack is my own business, my job is something I can't just go shouting about, have you ever thought of why I told you I was a civil servant?"
"I don't know Ianto! You've been lying to me for years about it since London even, and if you say it was so you didn't worry me then your lying even to your self."
"I didn't think you wanted to know! You stayed with father, and you know how he was about me and yet here you are trying to demand answers to everything in my life just like he did. If you came down here just to snoop then please leave in the morning."
"No I came down here to try and get you to come see me! Ianto I miss you, I practically raised you and yet...you pull away from me and my kids." She paused looking down at her hands sighing softly " I didn't mean to come off as angry and demanding its just... well..." she waved her hands about a little earning a slightly raised brow from Ianto who waited quietly the anger burning slowly in his gut fading.
"Reading mam's dairy made a lot of things...I just seeing you from her view and reading about how she loved us and worried about us all the time made me just want to see you myself to make sure your well."
"You know I would come to you if I needed someone there for me. I've done it in the past and you know this, so tell me sister what is it you read in mam's dairy that has made you worry so? What secrets did you find hiding in the attic?"
"Not much I stopped looking through everything when I found the dairy, I was hopping that you would come look with me, I don't want to be the only one getting to know her better." She stated softy before she took in the suit Ianto was wearing. "So what happened to that suit of yours?"
"Oh this? Well lets just say Jack is no longer allowed to fix the generator, just about set us all on fire he did," Ianto said quickly as he reached to finger one of the burns in this jacket, honestly he had forgotten what a sorry state the two of them were in. Hopefully Jack had decided to take a quick shower before going to sleep.
Knowing his luck though that was not the case and the man had just plopped himself down greatcoat and all. Though it could have been worse, and its not like he hadn't planed on having to change the sheets soon anyway.
"You look tired." Rhiannon said after a few moments of silence between the two of them, and Ianto wasn't going to look the gift horse in the mouth if it meant getting away from the rather awkward conversation between the two of them.
"I am rather bushed, look why don't we talk in the morning, once I have gotten some rest I will be less likely to be so..."
"Aggravated, annoyed, peeved off, catching any of the right terms little brother?"
"Short tempered," Ianto deadpanned "I'll talk to Jack about seeing if I can get some time off and come look through this attic of ours, but you have to promise me I can see mam's dairy."
"Why is that the condition?" Rhiannon asked, her tone was edgy and it made Ianto want to find out why.
"When mam went...when we lost mam some of the things she would ramble the most about was her little baby Ianto," he paused as the hurt welled in his gut, that was one of the few things his mother would say that hurt him the most when she rambled. "She told me I was just an after image and I should stop haunting her with what could have been."
"What you think you were adopted or something?" Ianto shock his head slightly.
"No, I just want to see if she had postpartum maybe it really was me that drove her insane when she had me. Father never said anything to that notion but that would explain why he hated me."
"Tad didn't hate you, he was just a little harsh sometimes. I think he thought you could do more then you were doing ,he had unusually high expectations."
"They were high." Ianto agreed quietly before shifting where he stood, "Let make the couch up for you, I would have better accommodations if you had called ahead."
"I'm going to get instant in the morning it seems."
"Instant only goes to the people who knew guest were on the way but decided no prior warning was needed. Guest who just show up unannounced get decaf." this earned a wince from his elder sister but he shrugged it off as he made his way towards his room to at least take his suit jacket off before he headed to the linen closet.
He hopped the couch would be fine for however long she stayed, the springs were making alarming squeaks now and then when ever Jack got over excited and pounced him on said surface.
A quick peak told Ianto he had been right in thinking that Jack would just lay down, his breathing was even and slow, so with quiet steps he moved towards his closet to get out a hanger to put his jacket on before walking out just as quickly.
There was no reason to wake the other male, not when he was actually sleeping for once, though the moment he got into bed he knew that Jack was going to latch onto him, for someone who went about from person to person the man was clingy at times.
With a resigned sigh Ianto started shifting through the various sheets and comforters before finding some that would fit his sisters taste. She didn't like his silk sheets and was rather picky about the cotton ones, but he had a ready supply because more often then not they got covered in muck when the two of them were far too tired to shower before bed.
"Hop up for a bit, the bathroom is right around the corner and I will get these ready for you,"
"I can do that myself you know," Rhiannon said quietly even though she was already on her way up and off the couch, the bag right beside her was then picked up as well. "But knowing me you won't let me help so I'll just go get ready for bed then."
"Just so you know I will most likely have to go into work for a bit tomorrow, we'll leave early and I will try and get back before too late. There are numbers to the take outs around here and you can tell them to just put it on my tab."
"I can pay for my own food you know, I don't care how much this job of yours pays your not going to pay for me."
"Stubborn." Ianto grumbled as he leaned forwards to start to work.
"Like the rest of our family and don't you forget it!" Rhiannon said cheerfully as she flounced off towards the bathroom making Ianto sigh. She was in way too good of a mood for this time of night. There was no reason for it other then the fact she thought she was getting what she wanted, or at least her thinking that she was getting what she wanted.
He wasn't going to argue with her over it because there was really no point in doing so, though he had said he was going to have a talk with Jack which meant he was going to have to break out the good coffee and check the rift predictor to see when a slow time was coming up.
Though knowing his luck there was one coming up soon, it always seems too when he wanted to avoid something, it must be his horrible luck that always kicked in at the worst time.
A quick glance told him that he had forgotten to grab some pillows before coming back so he quickly walked towards the linen closet again, and as he went to go past the bathroom he saw Rhiannon walking out and she gave him a rather cheeky grin.
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing at all little brother." Ianto just shock his head and kept walking, he didn't want to try and delve into what his elder sister was thinking because all he could think of was time for bed had come and if he tried to put it off any longer he was going to collapse on the floor.
A quick grab of pillows, he went to throw them to his sister before he went to bed himself. Hopefully when he got into bed he wouldn't wake Jack, though if he was already out completely then he wouldn't have to worry too much at least.
"Sleep well Rhi,"
"In a hurry to get to your American?
"Just in a hurry to get some rest,"
"I don't know when you came in that door that didn't look like what you guys had in mind." Ianto tried to beat back the blush he knew was going to be spreading over his face soon but there was nothing he could do about it as she wagged her eyebrows at him.
"Rhi!"
"It's true! I've seen porno's with less heat to them, its rather adorable how he was when he saw me though. Is he always that protective?"
"I don't want to talk about this Rhi, so good night and please stop asking me questions about Jack," this earned a soft snort before his sister reached over and pulled him into a hug.
Ianto hated to think it but he was still blushing when he closed his bedroom door to get changed for the night, but first he was going to at least get Jack a little more comfortable for the night.
He walked over and slowly eased off the boots the other male was wearing pausing a few moments each time it seemed like the other male was going to wake, before moving to peel off the greatcoat.
"Why aren't you in bed yet?" was the sleepy murmur that greeted him and Ianto gave up on jostling Jack.
"Because someone just plopped down sir, I would rather not wake up covered in scuff marks on my legs because of your boots." This earned a half hearted wave of a hand that absently went to brush off his braces as he sat up. Ianto sighed and leaned over to help fingers deftly moving to help get rid of the button up shirt as well.
"I didn't think it would be that long for you to get in here."
"You just feel asleep without meaning to then." Jack shrugged his shoulders, letting his shirt all but roll off, before he grabbed what was left of Ianto's shirt to pull him closer. "Jack." The tone was warning but the Welshman moved over anyway letting lips settle over his own briefly, "We have to get up early."
"I know," Another brief meeting of lips this time lingering a little longer.
"Rhiannon is the living room." This earned a soft hum from the elder male who soothed his hands down to rest lightly on Ianto's hips rocking him from side to side for a few moments as they kissed before Jack pulled away.
"Get ready for bed," With that statement Jack turned Ianto around and gave him a swift smack across the seat of his pants earning a slightly glare. "Oh don't look at me like that,"
Ianto didn't bother trying to put a show on for the immortal, the kiss hadn't held the usual fire that burned between the two of them so he knew there was nothing happening the rest of the night. Not that Rhiannon being in the living room wasn't a big enough damper on everything as it was.
So with this in mind he quickly stripped down to his boxers, a quick glance told him that Jack was discarding his pants as well, before he moved back over to the bed. Warm arms pulled him in close the moment he got close to the bed again and soon he was snuggled close to Jack.
A soft huff of air over his neck made Ianto shiver briefly but it faded as the gusts of air became rhythmic as sleep started to take Jack back over once again.
"Night Jack." A soft hum and a gentle kiss was his answer and Ianto went to sleep happy in the knowledge that even though the night hadn't gone how he planed, it still ended rather nicely and still in his lovers arms.
tralalalalalalalalalalala
So there we are, I know that I flip from Ianto to Rhiannon but I think the next chapter will also be from Ianto's pov, he's a little easier then Rhi is. Anyway again any thoughts are welcome and enjoy next chapter will be a little while because as I said work keeps calling me in.
