*Disclaimer: I have no right to Torchwood, the characters, or the song lyrics for "Hurt a lot worse (when you go)". that belongs to Keith and his Record lable, Show Dogs.
*Note: Okay Ducks, hopefully you know by now that My Britishims aren't the best. And I'm not very pleased with this Chapter. Personally I think I can write better, but I've just gotten my muse (Henry) back from where ever he ran off to.
*Warnings: Established Janto, eventual loving, caring Janto fic. Not just Shagging Mates (is that the equivalent to F* buddies?). SLASH, obviously, with hints of OwenxIanto friendship. Though I suppose if you've made it this far you know all about this and I can stop putting this up...
*HUGE THANK YOU TO:Winnie Conway, Nyjen, Coffeegirl09, LittleMissTake, Doctor-Who-Fangirl, WickedWitchoftheSE, labellie, ForeverBossy26, picco, and Twstdwlf For your reviews, favorites and alerts. That's much appreciated. And to Evilpinkbutterfly101 who talks Torchwood with me, helps me get my British not so nice phrases right, and just keeps my little writer's hopes up. D thanks mate! My apologies to anyone i've forgotten..
*Side note: If anyone knows Welsh or has an online translator site that has English to Welsh, i need help for Up coming chapters, please PM me. thank you!
The next day Ianto and Owen came into work, looking no worse for wear. Tosh looked up, having arrived before them, the worried expression softening only slightly.
"Hello Ianto. Hello Owen." Gwen greeted as she walked past them, heading towards the elevator out.
The two men walked up the few stairs to be level with Tosh, Ianto heading to the Kitchenette, and Owen his workstation. When Owen sat down, Toshiko IM'd him, having rigged up away to actually be able to do that.
Iko-How's Yan?
MightyO-He's okay. I think yesterday was just the day that everything decided to hit at once. After I got him home he seemed fine.
Iko-Home?
MightyO-His place Toshi, not mine. He seemed better this morning.
Iko-That would explain why you're wearing his Cardiff Dragons Shirt.
MightyO-It was this or one that said "I love my Mam", and had a picture of his Mum on it.
Iko-Awww..that's cute. I've seen him wear it. Somehow he makes it sexy.
MightyO-Oh god Tosh! Please?
Iko-Sorry..D
MightyO-Here he comes with coffee..Did you know he has an iPod? he almost never takes that thing out at home.
Iko-yeah, i put most of the music on there for him. He has it on down in the archives too. Oh hold on..
The IMing paused briefly as Ianto set the mugs down next to them.
"Oh Tosh, Owen, if you wouldn't mind, please stop talking about me. I'm fine. Really." He smiled at them, and he really did seem better than yesterday.
Having given the two their coffee-- and purposely skipping Jack-- Ianto asked if there was anything else they needed.
"Uh, yeah. Gimme," Owen held out his hand expectantly and Ianto reluctantly handed over his iPod.
"If you put anything on there I will be forced to give you decaf for a month."
Owen chuckled and handing the headphones back, headed down to Autopsy, with his iPod speakers in hand. Where he had produced them from, god only knew, but the man had them and hooked it up.
Smiling at Tosh, Ianto looked around and noted that for once the place was clean, or as clean as it got. A screech from above made Ianto smile wider. Myfanwy wanted attention. Dashing off to the kitchenette, he returned with a bar of chocolate and tossed it up.
As she caught it and landed slightly off kilter, Ianto walked over and started petting her neck.
"How is it you can pet her, but if any of us try to she'll snap?" An American voice asked loudly, and the Welshman stiffened slightly. He turned around and Myfanwy nuzzled his head with her pointed beak, mussing up his hair.
"Because I feed her, clean her cave out, and pay attention to her." Ianto replied his mask of indifference firmly in place. But underneath it all, Ianto knew what he had to do. If he wanted to be able to preform well on this job, to function in life, both in and out of Torchwood, he had to end it with Jack. It would be hard, but he had to do it.
"Well, jeez, if that's all it takes then it's no wonder why Janet loves Owen so much." Jack grinned his grin, and Ianto felt his knees go weak slightly.
"Actually Owen just runs painful medical tests. I feed, clean up after and generally take care of the Weevils as well."
Tosh cheered inwardly. Ianto was telling Jack how much he actually did around there. And he really did do alot. Way more than just making the coffee, straightening the archives and making sure Jack's horniness levels were kept down. Oh no, if Ianto stopped working or was incapable to work for a few days, they would probably die of either Caffeine with drawl or from the filth.
"So if I were to get a dog?"
"I would end up taking care of it. Which is why there's a strict 'No Pets' rule here at Torchwood three. I have enough work keeping all of you running, along with taking care of the Archives, cleaning up after all of you-Owen in particular when he gets in his Mad Scientist moods- and taking care of all the non-terrestrial, pre-historic and just plain weird things that the Rift likes to spit out at us. No Dogs."
Tosh was exceedingly proud that Ianto could put his foot down, despite the way he tended to just roll over and please them.
when Ianto looked to her, she nodded in support and he grinned.
"Now, Sir, I know you have a massive stack of paper work on your desk that needs to be finished. UNIT keeps calling me asking where it is. Now. Go Finish Your Work. I'll bring you your coffee when I can see your head over the stack."
Jack stared wide-eyed at Ianto's manipulation. Ianto just looked passive, though his eyes gleamed knowing full well he'd won that round.
Humming to the music that Owen had blaring from Autopsy, Ianto sat down at the Doctor's station and brought up the files he had managed to transfer from paper files onto the the computers.
"Tosh can you hand me..thank you."
"No problem Yan. That was brilliant."
"You just have to know what to use against him. Jack needs his coffee. I need that paper work done. And since I make the coffee, I can get the paper work done quicker than if I were to have Owen hook up an IV to him and give him a Caffeine drip." Tosh smiled at him and patted his shoulder.
Smiling back Ianto turned back to the computer before him, and eyes never leaving the sheets in front of him he typed up all the handwritten reports and only stopped when he needed to flip and/or change the sheets.
After about two hours of only typing and his iPod to be heard, a pair of hands covered his eyes.
"Not funny sir. I need to finish this."
"All the paper work's done. Coffee?"
"In a minute. I just need to finish this first, which I cannot do with your hands over my eyes sir."
The hands left and he heard Jack sigh. "I thought I told you not to call me 'sir' anymore."
Ianto shrugged and with skills any secretary would kill for, finished typing two and a half pages of tiny scrawling handwriting in a matter of minutes.
Getting up, Ianto ignored Jack's following him and slowly started the process of making his 'magic' coffee. Pulling out everyone's other mug he filled it up exactly as they had it and set them on his silver tray. Since Jack was standing right behind him, he forced the blue mug of Industrial strength into his hands and proceeded out.
Gwen was still not in, something about Rhys and his mum being sick, so there were only two mugs on the tray. Giving Tosh hers and taking her empty one to be washed later, he got a peck on the cheek and headed down to see if Owen was or today.
"Heads up!" he called and Ianto had enough time to step to the other side of the wall as something exploded. it was.
"Owen please come get your coffee..Wait, don't. I'll go get the mop. Just stay there." He sighed seeing Owen covered in pink alien goo, and everything except directly behind him covered in the same stuff. His iPod, thankfully, was behind him and was not slimed.
Setting the coffee back in the kitchen, Yanto pulled out the mop, bucket and checked that his extra suit was still where he left it and clean. It was.
Taking off his suit jacket, waist coat, tie, shoes and socks, Ianto rolled up his sleeves and pant legs, dreading this. He hated cleaning up alien slime.
"Owen what have I told you about not cutting into-"
"I didn't! I pulled it out of the freezer and 'BOOM', Alien goo everywhere." Owen sounded innocent for once, if a bit annoyed at being slimey and pink.
"Fine, just stay there. I'll clean my way over to you and have Tosh send you some clean clothes to change into." Ianto sighed, as he slowly started to mop up, wondering how in the world he was going to reach the higher parts of the walls.
#
About an hour passed and Ianto finally made it to Owen, and was surprisingly not covered in the goo. Heading back up the now clean stairs he took the clean scrubs from Tosh and handed them to Owen. "Strip."
"WOT!?"
"To your boxers and put those on. I can't have you wandering around the Hub dripping goo. I'm going to have enough trouble with this."
Owen looked rather put out and Ianto raised an eyebrow. "You slept in you boxers on my couch last night."
He had a valid point. Waking up to find Owen asleep on his couch with just a blanket and his boxers between him and Ianto seeing the jewels he doubted that this would bother him too much.
"And you're buying me another Dragons shirt if I can't clean that one. And explaining to my sister why you had to buy me a new one."
"What? Oh hell no Yanto. I am NOT dealing with your family." Owen stated, stripping off his borrowed clothing. Glancing back up Owen turned beet red and cried, "Jack! Tosh!"
Ianto turned around to see the other two watching as Owen changed his clothes.
"GET!"
"I never pegged you for modest Owen Harper."
"And I never pegged you for a creep Jack Harkness!"
"Owen.." Ianto warned, as he kept cleaning, now almost fully done. Except for the higher parts of the walls. He'd have to go find a ladder or something later. They could stay as is for the moment.
Turning around he found that Tosh had gone back to her work, while Jack stayed to leer at him. Owen looked rather pissed, but was quiet none the less. The dirty clothes were in a pile in the corner, dripping goo.
"Owen could you please go get me a bag to put those in? Thank you." he requested as the Medic was more than willing to get out of there.
Jack however decided to come down to talk to Ianto.
Ianto, however ignored him, moving to change the song that was playing. Maybe Jack would get the hint?
Go on and call me up
Tell me you made a grave mistake
You know I never once turned you away
That is I hate to say
I know how good it's gonna to be
Just for a night I'll lay you down by me
And you lie like you won't say goodbye
Like you do every time
Come here and kiss and act like you miss me
Make me believe we're together
Come here and hold me and baby control me
Touch me like you'll be here forever
You never cut me deep enough to tell you no
Ohhh
tell me you love me
It'll hurt a lot worse when you go
"Yan, we need to talk."
Ianto paused briefly in his zipping up the body bag. It was dripping more goo on the floor and it was starting to smell bad.
"Yanto.."
"I'm listening sir."
Jack sighed and sat on one of the steps, and ran a hand through his hair.
"I missed you last night."
Ianto said nothing, just trying to muster up the courage he knew he'd need.
"Stay tonight?"
"No Jack."
Jack for his part at least looked a little confused, and went to ask why when Ianto walked over and turned the volume up.
I'm not what you want
No I'm not ever gonna be
More than someone you come to in need
and you lie like you won't say goodbye
Like you do every time
Come here and kiss me and act like you miss me
make me believe we're together
Come here and hold me and baby control me
Touch me like you'll be here forever
You never cut me deep enough to tell you no
Ohhh
just tell me you love me
It'll hurt a lot worse when you go
You never cut me deep enough to tell you no…
Ohhh
Just tell me you love me
It'll hurt a lot worse when you go
Girl tell me you love me; it'll hurt a lot worse when you go.
Remaining silent til the song was over, Ianto looked up and stared Jack straight in the eye.
"I'm so sorry Jack, but it's over. Whatever this is between us, it's over. I cannot stay with you any longer. You've finally cut deep enough and it's killing me."
"What about it is killing you Yan?" Jack asked softly, looking lost, hurt and most of all confused.
"Your flirting with anything that has a pulse, your disappearing acts. I would say your secrets, but I have no room to talk. But the way you close yourself off, even to me. The fact that I know you as well as I do, and most of all, my love for you. I love you so much it hurts, but you dont' see it.
"So Jack, I'm ending it before this thing breaks me to the point that none of this Alien tech can fix me. You no longer have me for a lover Jack. Now if you'll excuse me Sir, I have to go get cleaned up and feed the Weevils."
Jack started open mouthed as Ianto switched so quickly from pained lover to professional, unattached worker.
Ianto didn't look back, just kept going, stopping briefly in the kitchen to grab his extra suit out of the same closet where he kept the ironing board. With that in hand, he headed down to the showers, where he ran into Owen, who had much the same Idea.
"Jack was staring open mouthed at nothing. He's putting the goo covered stuff in the bag."
Ianto nodded and continued to strip silently. Owen was a little shocked at the lack of modestly.
"Owen please stop staring. I have all the same pieces as you do.." he blushed as he wrapped a towel around his waist before slipping off his boxers. Owen followed his friends request and followed suit, skipping the towel.
Both walked into the divided and curtained showers. All that was heard for a few minutes was the sounds of water running. Then Owen had to open his mouth.
"Didja end it Yan?"
"Yes."
That simple, three letter word held all the pain, the grief and the relief that Ianto had swirrling inside of him at that moment. He wanted to cry, but saw absolutely no point in doing it.
Ianto finished scrubbing quickly and got out of there as fast as he could.
As he started dressing, Owen joined him, several lockers over and unlike Ianto, had no modesty whatsoever. Flushing slightly Ianto quickly slipped his pants on over his boxers and under the towel. "Owen could you please have at least a little modesty? What if Tosh walked in here?"
"Well then it wouldn't be anything she hasn't seen already.."
Well that got his attention.
"You and Tosh finally went out?"
"Yup."
He nodded sagely, glad that Owen had finallysee the light. He was glad for Toshiko, they had spent so much time just talking about the men they loved.
Adjusting his tie, Ianto bid Owen a good day, and headed back out into the Hub, a little afraid of what would happen to him the moment he got out there..