AN: I apologise for the wait, I've been struggling with writer's block and I've just gotten over it. And a shout out to Pegaz whose review kept me going.

Chapter 7: A Waste of Time

Ianto opened his eyes and received an eyeful of Jack and Owen leaning over him.

"No concussion, thank goodness," Owen muttered. "Looks like he's dislocated his shoulder and there might be a bit of bruising, but I think he's going to be just fine."

Jack spoke directly to Ianto. "You were out for a few minutes. That was quite a tumble. How do you feel?"

"Painful" came Ianto's mumbled reply.

Owen and Jack helped Ianto into a sitting position, being careful not to aggravate his left shoulder.

"I'm gonna pop your shoulder back in Teaboy," Owen explained. "Then we can move you to the medbay and ice it, before I strap it up. This might pinch a bit. Deep breath on the count of three. One…two…three."

"ARGH!" Ianto screamed as Owen popped his shoulder back into the joint. Jack tightened his grip on the Welshman to prevent him from squirming. Once Ianto had calmed down Jack and Owen helped him to his feet and led him over to the medbay. Jack sat Ianto onto the bed.

"Jack help Ianto take his shirt off and ice his shoulder while I prepare the bandages." Owen instructed.

Jack pushed Ianto's t-shirt up his chest with care and together they slipped the item over Ianto's head and off his shoulder. Jack grabbed the ice pack Owen had placed on the bed next to Ianto and pressed it to the young man's injured shoulder. Owen returned with the bandages and began strapping up Ianto's shoulder. Jack observed from behind when something caught his eye. A jagged pink scar ran from the top of Ianto's left shoulder blade down to the bottom of his right one. Jack ran a finger lightly along it.

"What's this?" he asked, sharply. "How did I not notice this before? It's huge."

"You've only ever seen my front, sir." Ianto replied.

"Do I want to ask why or when you might have seen Teaboy without his shirt?" Owen mumbled.

"It was about a month ago. I walked in on him while he was showering." said Jack. "I want you to have a look at this Owen."

"It's not really a big deal, sir." Ianto insisted. "It's an old scar and it doesn't impede my performance. It's nothing to worry about."

"Owen?"

"He's right, Jack." Owen conceded. "As long as it doesn't still hurt it's not worth worrying over." Jack looked far from convinced. "Help him with his t-shirt and I'll fit him with a sling. Then you two can go back to your caravan and do whatever it is you do that requires no clothing."

"It's not like that." Ianto explained, quickly.

"I really don't wanna know what it's like Teaboy." said Owen.

Owen fitted Ianto with a sling and handed him a bottle of painkillers with instructions to take two every six hours. Jack escorted him back to their trailer and settled him down in his bedroom.

"I gotta ask, what happened out there today?" Jack asked. "One minute you were doing so well, the next you're crumpled in a heap with a dislocated shoulder."

"I just got distracted, I guess." Ianto answered with a half-truth.

"Was it because of me?" Jack waggled his eyebrows. "I do have that effect sometimes."

"Yes, it was because of you." Ianto deadpanned.

"Oh, uh, I was kidding." stuttered Jack. "I didn't mean to distract you."

"It's not your fault." Ianto confessed. "You didn't mean for me to overhear your conversation with Owen yesterday evening. I just didn't realise you had such little faith in me as a performer."

Ianto sunk onto his bed, right arm across his knees and head bowed. He could feel the tears from the night before burning in his eyes again. Jack sat next to the young man mimicking his position.

"I have complete faith in you as a performer." Ianto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I just happen to hold Owen's opinion very highly. He has years more experience than you or I in this area. I'll talk to him about resuming your training after you're healed."

"Why bother?" Ianto murmured. "I'm a waste of time, a lost cause. I'll never be good enough."

Jack swivelled hastily to face the young Welshman. He cupped Ianto's chin in his hand and forced him to meet his eyes.

"You, Ianto Jones, are not a waste of time, not to me."

He gazed into Ianto's eyes trying to make him believe what he was saying. Tears spilled from Ianto's eyes as he realised the sincerity in which Jack had spoken. Jack's primal instinct took over, as Ianto cried, wanting only to comfort the Welshman, he pulled him into a soft kiss. Quite remarkably and unexpectedly, Ianto kissed back with just as much earnest. Before long the kiss was heated and passionate on both sides and it wasn't until Jack's hands ran through Ianto's hair that the young man fully realised what was happening. His eyes snapped open and he scooted backwards, away and out of Jack's embrace. Jack stood up from the bed sheepishly.

"I'm sorry." Jack apologised. "I just wasn't thinking straight. Uh, no pun intended."

"No, it was fine...good...great even." Ianto told him. "It was just, that was my first time with another man. Took me by surprise, that's all."

Jack sat back on the bed and crossed his legs, pulling his feet on the quilt.

"Shoes off the bed please."

Jack grinned and removed his boots obediently.

"Attention to detail, even when you're flustered." He chuckled. "It's an endearing quality really."

Ianto smiled up at him from under his eyelashes.

"How does this work?" the gymnast asked.

"Right now?" Jack considered for a moment. "Right now we talk; we get to know each other. I don't want to rush you into anything."

And that is exactly what they did. They talked for hours, each topic leading into the next smoothly until the early hours of the morning. Jack was telling an outrageous story about his early days in the circus when Ianto's eyes closed and his head drooped onto his chest.

Jack smiled and gently laid the young man down onto the pillow and removed his sling. He stood and tucked the quilts around the boy who suddenly looked younger than Jack had ever seen him. He attempted a quiet retreat.

"Jack." Ianto's soft voice called. "Stay with me tonight?"

The ringmaster could only oblige to a request like that and he only hoped Ianto would not regret it in the morning. He stripped to his boxers and t-shirt and climbed into the small fold out bed next to Ianto's sleeping form. The young man unconsciously snuggled closer to Jack's body heat, giving Jack no choice but to wrap his arms around the younger man.