There are mentions of watersports (The sexual kind) in this chapter, it is only talked about in passing but if you feel that this will offend you then please do not read. Thank you.
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Eight
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You know more than you think you do
Benjamin Spock
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"How can we lose two days? How is that even possible?" Owen asked again.
Tosh rolled her eyes, "Obviously we retconned ourselves." She said, "I'm sure there was a good reason."
"I left myself a note, obviously not saying what happened but explaining that we can't remember, we can't look into it." Jack chipped in.
"Rhys is worried, he's lost the days too so… What do I tell him?" Gwen asked.
Jack smiled, "The truth." He said with a small laugh, looking up as Ianto walked in holding his phone, "Okay?"
"Scott's pissed off with me and apparently I should know why so he won't tell me what I'm meant to have done…" He said, pulling a face.
Tosh laughed, "Just apologise a lot, I doubt it's that serious." She said.
"You guys head home, go on. The predictor says it'll be quiet."
"Thanks Jack." Gwen smiled, giving him a quick hug before racing out of the Hub, desperate to explain to Rhys that there was a reason he had lost two days of memories and that he wasn't just going mad, no doubt. Tosh and Ianto followed her, a tad more slowly. Jack couldn't help but notice that Ianto looked worried, he was probably bothered about having to try and explain why he couldn't remember what it was that he had done to upset Scott.
"How about I reset the rift monitor so if it goes off it'll alert my wrist strap, and shift all phone calls to my mobile?" He asked Owen once they were alone, "Then we can head back to yours."
"Alright." Owen muttered, pulling awkwardly at the clothes he was wearing, the clothes that were so not Owen, "I need to change out of these, they're fucking rank, god knows why I'm wearing them, or my glasses."
Jack smiled gently, leaning over to kiss the man, "You can get changed when we get back to yours." He said before quickly moving to reset all the machines. Half an hour later they found themselves spread out on the sofa at Owen's flat, watching repeat episodes of some old American soap about some friends hanging out in a café in New York. Jack was barely paying attention, instead simply playing with Owen's hair, chuckling every time the man shoved him away. "Jack?"
"Hmm?"
"I know we're not doing emotions or labels or whatever but… I just wanted to say thanks."
"For what?" Jack frowned, watching as Owen played with the sofa cushion.
Owen gave a small shrug, "Being around, you make me a bit calmer, feel a bit… safer. You mean a lot to me." He mumbled awkwardly, looking away across the room.
Jack gave a small smile, "You mean a lot to me too." He murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to Owen's head.
"Can I have the morning off to go to the Opticians?" Owen asked, changing the subject.
Jack frowned, they were meant to be busy tomorrow but then again, Owen needed his contacts which seemed to have totally vanished, every single pair of them… "Go on then, but we need you in first thing to check that Weevil, you can head off after that." He nodded, "Although you do look cute in glasses."
Owen scowled, "Do not." He grumbled with a small pout before moving to kiss Jack. Jack kissed back, his fingers running along the back of Owen's shirt before he pulled back, quickly removing Owen's glasses and running his finger over the man's lips. "You're being soppy." Owen breathed.
"Sorry." Jack chuckled, continuing to run his finger along Owen's face, trying desperately to take in everything.
"What are you doing?" Owen asked quietly.
"Remembering… One day, in a very, very long time, I might forget you but I swear to god I'm going to hold on to this image for as long as possible." Jack murmured, sliding his finger over Owen's lips again and blinking as the man opened them, sucking on Jack's finger, "You are delicious, you know that? A total arse sometimes but delicious…" Jack breathed, sliding a second finger into Owen's mouth, not entirely sure where this was going but definitely liking it.
Owen released Jack's fingers with a soft pop, "Remember me as long as you can." He said quietly before moving and capturing his lips in a kiss. Jack kissed back, aware of the sudden shift in their relationship but not quite sure what it meant for them, for the future…
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Ianto was already in the Hub when they arrived the next morning, he walked out of the kitchen as they walked in and laughed as Owen grumbled about being in work so early. Jack frowned as he spotted a bruise forming on Ianto's cheek and opened his mouth to ask what had happened, Ianto cut across him, "I made Myfanwy wait too long for her breakfast so she knocked me with her wing to prove a point, I don't think she was trying to hurt me, more just to show me who was boss." He explained, looking up to where the dinosaur was perched, as if noticing the scowl she was getting off Jack, Myfanwy turned and flew into her den, crying out sadly as she went.
Owen gave a small snort, "Guilty conscience." He said before grinning at Ianto, "Coffee?"
"If you're offering." Ianto smirked.
"I was asking you dolt!" Owen snapped good naturedly, swatting at the back of Ianto's head. "How's the cut on that Weevil's head doing?" He added, following Ianto into the kitchen.
Ianto shrugged, "I had a quick look but I really don't know what I'm looking for. It's not started bleeding again though." He said as he began to make coffee.
"I'll go take a look now." Owen yawned, sliding his hand across Jack's stomach as he walked past, heading down to the cells.
"You sort stuff out with Scott?" Jack asked, sliding up onto the counter and ignoring Ianto's disapproving look.
The Welshman nodded, "Yeah, still not sure what I did to upset him in the first place though…" He frowned making Jack laugh. "You and Owen seem… Closer." Ianto commented as he retrieved some mugs from the cupboard.
"We do?" Jack frowned, well he supposed that they were, they hadn't actually talked much last night but that moment between them had definitely strengthened what they had, Owen meant a lot to Jack, he might even lo- No, it was too soon for that, and besides what was the point? He'd be alone in the end either way. How had Ianto known that they were closer? Stronger?
"The way he touched you just then… It was less sexual. More affectionate." Ianto muttered, pouring the coffee out.
"Does that bother you?" Jack asked, unable to help himself, he wanted to know, although what he would do with the answer he didn't know. Ianto was quiet for a moment, probably debating with himself on how exactly to answer, Jack realised.
"I'm happy for you." Ianto settled on finally, handing Jack a mug.
"I miss you." Jack breathed, looking directly at Ianto who swallowed hard.
"I'm right here." The Welshman muttered.
"You know what I mean."
"Jack…" Ianto sighed and they stared at each other for a while.
Surprising himself, Jack was the first to look away, towards the stairs Owen had just gone down. "Sorry." He mumbled quickly, guilt hitting him hard, guilt for pushing Ianto away in the first place by leaving, guilt for still caring about Ianto when he should be happy with Owen, when he was happy with Owen. Christ, if only Ianto could dump this Scott guy and he and Owen could agree to a triad relationship with Jack. Jack gave a small snort at the thought, the images in his mind making his brain feel a bit fuzzy,
"What?" Ianto frowned.
"Nothing, nothing…" Jack smirked, "Well actually… Just thinking how hot you and Owen would be together." He grinned, making Ianto stare at him before the younger man turned beet red.
"In your dreams Harkness." Owen sneered as he came up the stairs, rolling his eyes at Jack. Owen took the mug of coffee Ianto handed him and drank it in three big gulps, "Right, I'll be off. I should only be an hour or so." He said, glancing at Ianto before smirking suddenly and kissing Jack hard. By the time they broke apart Ianto had turned away, busying himself with washing Owen's mug. "See ya." Owen called out as he bounded up the steps and left the Hub.
Jack ran a hand over his face, watching Ianto carefully, "Are you okay?"
"Fine." Ianto said shortly, Jack noticed that his hands were shaking as he scrubbed out the mug.
"Sorry about Owen… He…" Jack trailed off, unsure what he was trying to say exactly.
Ianto gave a small shrug, "It's fine, quite amusing actually. He's like a dog marking his territory." He muttered and Jack snorted because, well, that was exactly how Owen had been behaving. "Where's he gone anyway?"
"Opticians to get new contacts, his have all vanished."
"That's odd." Ianto said, drying his hands on the towel that was by the sink, "Right, well I need to go file these away." He said as he walked over to the sofa and picked up a stack of files.
Jack nodded, "I'll just be in my office daydreaming about your arse and Owen's -"
"Jack!"
"I was going to say face." Jack lied, smirking as Ianto turned even redder and quickly vanished down to the archives.
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"Better?" Jack asked with a laugh as Owen walked back into the Hub a few hours later, wearing new contacts.
"Much." The Medic agreed, "Oi Tea-Boy, get us a coffee."
"Get it yourself." Ianto grumbled from where he was lying under Tosh's computer, holding a flashlight so that the woman could look at the cables properly.
"But mine tastes like piss." Owen whined.
"How do you know what piss tastes like?" Tosh smirked.
Owen grinned then, a leer on his face, "Well…" He drawled, looking up at Jack and raising both eyebrows quickly before laughing and walking away.
Tosh and Ianto both looked out from under the computer, staring at Jack with disgusted expressions, "He's joking." Jack said quickly, Tosh rolled her eyes and vanished again, Ianto continued to watch Jack carefully, "He was joking!" Jack repeated.
"Hmm… You have a tele-conference with UNIT in about twenty minutes." Ianto said, "Can you cope without me?" He asked Tosh and, when she nodded, he slid out from under the computer, "I'll go over the basic information you'll need." Ianto told Jack, wiping his dusty hands on a towel before heading up to Jack's office, Jack followed quickly.
"Owen was joking." Jack said again as they entered his office.
"So you said."
"No but really!" Jack insisted, wanting Ianto to believe him.
Ianto gave a small laugh, "The surprised look when he said it kind of gave you away… Although you did look intrigued Jack." He added with a smirk, Jack gave a slight grimace and looked away, okay so the thought had stuck in his head for a moment or so, but hey, people were more open to stuff like that in the fifty first century… "What you get up to in your spare time is really none of my business." Ianto added quietly, rummaging through the filing cabinet in search of the right file.
"Right." Jack murmured, sliding into his seat.
"Read those, they'll help you understand what the General is talking about." Ianto said, handing Jack some files. Jack took the files and began to read, pulling a face at how disturbingly boring they were, why did UNIT care so much about money budgets, surely what mattered was saving the planet? "Jack?"
"Hmm?"
"You know when we… What the… We…" Ianto trailed off and gave a small growl, apparently having trouble trying to get what he wanted to say into words, that was unusual for Ianto. "Never mind." The Welshman muttered finally.
Jack gave the man a reassuring smile, "You can ask me anything." He murmured.
"The sex." Ianto said finally, his cheeks flushed, "With you and me… Wasn't it boring for you?"
"Boring? God no, it was fantastic Ianto." Jack said, truthfully.
Ianto flushed even more, "Well yes but… You didn't find it repetitive?" He asked quietly, looking at the floor, "I mean… You were only the second man I ever slept with and I know I was hesitant to try new things and…" He trailed off and Jack finally understood, he and Ianto had only really ever had sex in the same way, in the same place. Ianto hadn't been ready to try anything else and Jack had accepted that.
"Sex with you was amazing. Sure I occasionally thought about other stuff we could be doing, but mainly because I wanted you to see what it could be like…" Jack said in what he hoped was a soothing voice.
"It's better with Owen though right?" Ianto asked, scowling at the floor, "Like that thing earlier…"
"Owen was joking! We have never done that!"
"No but… If you asked him to he would right?" Ianto muttered bitterly, Jack frowned, he didn't see Owen agreeing to… well to that… but then again the man was actually a lot more adventurous than Jack had thought. "And if he asked you to you would." Ianto added, "Do that I mean."
"Watersports it's sometimes called." Jack said quietly, "And honestly the thought doesn't appeal to me that much but… Well I guess if I was with someone who was desperate to try it then…" He shrugged, "But that's me and I feel comfortable with sex with men, and trying new things in sex… You shouldn't do stuff unless you're comfortable with it though." Jack said, "And no-one who cares about you would ever push you into something you don't want to do." He added, wondering what had sparked this off, it wasn't like Ianto to turn to Jack for such advice, or to get so upset over something like this.
"I want to be like that though, I want to be totally okay with trying whatever someone asks of me." Ianto muttered.
"It'll come with time I'm sure, and I don't mean watersports or whatever else… I mean just being comfortable with sex with blokes in general." Then Jack frowned slightly, "Is Scott pushing you to do something you don't like or want to do?" He asked quietly.
"No!" Ianto exclaimed, his red cheeks and wide eyes suggesting that he was lying.
"Okay, well good." Jack said, pretending that he believed Ianto, "Because someone who truly cares about you, loves you, would just accept that you're not ready."
Ianto looked up, his gaze on Jack, "Like you did?" He breathed.
Jack smiled briefly, "Yes. Just because you're… Well…" How could he put this without sounding insulting. Vanilla? Nope… Umm… "Not ready to try everything." There that was good, "That doesn't mean you're not fantastic in bed Ianto. You have the most talented tongue…" He added with a smirk, shifting in his seat slightly as images of Ianto using his tongue popped into his head. Ianto flushed even more, his cheeks and neck now bright red as he looked away, "Seriously Ianto." Jack said.
"Thanks." Ianto muttered before clearing his throat, "Umm… Sorry, I shouldn't have distracted you from those files, you're going to have to skim them quickly before the phone call." He added quickly, standing up, "I'll go make coffee." And with that the young welsh man dashed out of the room and past the rest of the team, closing the kitchen door tightly behind himself.
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Thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing and putting this on alert/favourite lists.
Let me know what you think.
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