Chapter Ten
Ianto finished lacing up his shoes and turned to look at where John was sprawled out on the bed, mouth slightly open and snoring softly. The bed covers were tossed aside, despite Ianto having tucked them around John a few minutes earlier as he'd stumbled out of bed and gone in search of his clothes. He smiled to himself as he admired the unobstructed view of John's naked body. Even in slumber, John was as unselfconscious and defiantly shameless as when he was wide awake.
John had worn him out in the best possible way the night before, and he'd drifted to sleep soon after, feeling satisfied and content. It was another dichotomy of John's nature that he was a clingy bedmate, not that Ianto had ever minded, and it had been nice to sleep with a warm, familiar body curled around him again. He'd slept better than he had in months and had woken feeling relaxed and well-rested, having gone almost the entire night without obsessing over Jack and that unforgettable kiss. While no doubt a fleeting situation at best, he was nonetheless grateful for the reprieve.
He leaned over and gave John's shoulder a gentle nudge. "John."
John roused with an incoherent mumble, his eyes sliding open and blinking up at him. "Hey," he murmured, stretching his arms out above his head and arching his wiry body like a lewd, decadent cat. His eyes focused and took in Ianto's clothed state. "You heading off?"
Ianto nodded. "Yeah, I have to go."
By the time he got back to his flat, showered, dressed and had some breakfast, he'd be running late. But for once he didn't particularly care about being tardy, especially if it meant being spared from witnessing Jack's latest conquest depart from the scene. He leaned down and brushed a kiss against John's lips. "Thanks for last night."
John gave him a sleepy smile, his blue eyes lacking their usual insolent edge. He surprised Ianto by reaching a hand up to the back of his neck and pulling him back down for a similarly brief, reciprocal kiss. "Any time. You were amazing, by the way."
Ianto chuckled. "You too."
He was a little surprised by how glad he was that they'd had one more time together. He'd missed John more than he'd realised, and there was a lot to be said for being with someone you liked and cared about without the worry of emotional complications. That sort of arrangement would never be enough for him, which was why he and John had run their course, but at the moment he could definitely see the appeal. As he smiled down at John and his ridiculous bleached-blond hair, there was a part of him that wished things had been different.
He started to stand up to leave, but John placed a hand on his arm to stop him. Ianto turned back as John sat up and looked at him with an earnestness that seemed almost ill-fitting on his sharp, angular features. "Ianto, wait."
He shifted to sit beside Ianto and belatedly grabbed a pillow to cover his bare crotch. "Look, I know I never could have made you happy. But if there's a chance with this Jack bloke, then if you want my advice, whatever the problems are, try to find a way to get past them." He shrugged. "Life's too short and you deserve to be happy."
Ianto failed to hide his surprise, but he managed a wry smile and slowly nodded. He wasn't so sure about deserving to be happy, but he knew that John was right about life being too short. Of course, John didn't know the details of the situation, and if Jack's outlook was anything like John's then there was nothing he could do to make a difference. He supposed, in the end, it came down to whether he was willing to take a chance with Jack and risk ruining their working relationship when the odds seemed so heavily stacked against him. Assuming that Jack was interested in anything more than a one-off encounter, which seemed unlikely.
John's eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint. "But if he hurts you, I don't care how gorgeous he is, I'll bloody well kick his arse."
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By late morning there had been no sign of Jack or a departing overnight guest. As per his usual Saturday morning routine, Ianto had kept himself busy with cleaning Jack's Mercedes inside and out. He'd given his own car a quick clean as well.
Deciding it was time for a coffee break, he made his way along the terrace at the back of the house and inside via the kitchen door. After giving the coffee machine a thorough cleaning, he made the coffee and filled a mug, taking a moment to close his eyes and savour the rich, comforting aroma.
Just as he turned around with the drink raised to his lips, Jack strolled into the room, and Ianto's coffee mug very nearly went crashing to the floor. He stared wide-eyed, his breath catching in his lungs, certain that his heart had just skipped several beats.
Apparently, Jack had just finished a workout in his home gym. His lower half was dressed in snug dark blue training shorts, low-cut white sports socks, and blue and white trainers. His upper half, save for a small white towel draped around his neck, was completely bare. Jack's face was flushed from exertion, his dark hair damp and dishevelled, and every inch of the copious amounts of his bare, sculpted flesh on display was gleaming with sweat.
"Oh, Ianto. Hi." Jack smiled and strode towards him, passing within inches of him to get to the refrigerator. He opened it and reached inside to grab a bottle of water from the lower shelf.
With an unsteady hand, Ianto put his coffee mug down on the nearest surface before he dropped it. Taking a deep breath in an effort to compose himself, he unwittingly caught a whiff of the musky smell of Jack's sweat mixing with the aroma of the coffee. Unable to stop himself, he breathed in again, savouring the heady, masculine scent. Even drenched in sweat, Jack somehow managed to smell incredible.
Showing no sign of self-consciousness over his near-naked state, Jack turned to Ianto and flashed him another amiable smile before bringing the bottle of water up to his lips and taking several long gulps.
With so much naked Jack engulfing his field of vision, Ianto didn't know what to do or where to look. Somehow he managed to drag his eyes away from Jack's glistening torso, past his undulating throat, and up to his face, deciding it was the safest place to focus on. He'd seen plenty of images of beautiful naked and semi-naked men in his time – after all, it was the twenty-first century and he was a young gay man with access to the internet – but in that moment he was hard-pressed to think of a more erotic or arousing sight. It was taking all of his self-restraint not to reach down and adjust his jeans in an attempt to relieve the increasingly uncomfortable tightness of his crotch.
He had no way of knowing if this little display was intentional or not, but if it was then Jack Harkness was a cruel and utterly devious bastard. To his chagrin, the thought of Jack deliberately being such a brazen cock tease only made him want the man even more.
"Morning, Jack," he managed, clearing his throat as a rivulet of sweat trailed from Jack's hairline down the side of his face and followed the curve of his neck. "Er... good workout?"
Jack nodded, swallowing another gulp of water. "I've been kind of slack lately, plus being sick put me out of action for a while. Thought I'd better try to get back into a routine." He grimaced and patted a hand against his bare abdomen. "I'm starting to get soft and flabby."
Struggling not to roll his eyes in disbelief, Ianto tried to keep his expression neutral. From what he could see, the man hardly had a spare ounce of fat on him. He felt all the more inadequate by comparison, and it occurred to him again how ridiculous it was to contemplate that someone like Jack could ever seriously be interested in him. With Jack's looks, money and charisma, he could have anyone he wanted. He could certainly do a lot better for himself than a quiet, reclusive, working-class Welshman who drove other people's expensive cars for a living and built Lego models in his spare time.
Jack was looking at him speculatively. "Do you workout much?"
Ianto somehow managed not to flinch. Apparently, Jack had been tapping into his thoughts. "No, not really," he admitted. "Never been much of one for going to the gym."
He had a few bits of basic equipment at his flat, so it wasn't like he made no effort at all. He'd also taken some Yoga classes when he was younger, and he tried to keep that up at home, although he wasn't terribly regimented about it. But he didn't say anything further, knowing it would sound incredibly feeble to someone like Jack, who didn't seem to do things in half measures and probably took a no-holds-barred approach to keeping himself in shape. Good genetics only went so far, and Jack clearly put some serious effort into looking the way he did.
Jack shrugged. "It's something you've got to enjoy, otherwise you'll never stick with it. I find it helps me to relax and clear my head." He scratched distractedly at his chest, still scrutinising him. "You're welcome to use my equipment. Maybe try it out sometime, see if you like it. You never know, you might get addicted."
Ianto very nearly choked on his tongue. Jack's features remained in an expression of straight-faced innocence, although how that was possible Ianto had no idea. "Um... thanks. I'll... ah... I'll keep that in mind."
He cleared his throat, still trying to keep his eyes fixed on Jack's face. "Would you like some coffee?" he asked, the words coming out in a hurry as he glanced down at his own cooling drink.
Jack swallowed the rest of his water and tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin inside the cupboard under the sink. "Thanks, but maybe later." He pulled the towel from around his neck and swiped it over his face. "I'd better hit the shower."
Ianto watched helplessly as Jack retreated from the room, his gaze roaming from the broad expanse of Jack's strong back down to the tight globes of his firm backside. Even his long, muscled legs with their dusting of dark hair were a sight to behold.
Jack turned back just before he disappeared from sight down the hallway. "Oh, Ianto? Would you mind bringing the Porsche around to the front? I was thinking of taking it for a spin this afternoon." Not waiting for an answer, he turned away again and disappeared from view.
Ianto slumped against the cupboards behind him, taking a deep, unsteady breath and exhaling it slowly. He'd been about a heartbeat away from pouncing on Jack, ravaging those too-tempting lips and licking him from head to toe. Cursing to himself, he reached for his coffee and swallowed a mouthful. The man was going to be the death of him.
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It was a little under an hour later and Ianto was back inside the garage, finishing off cleaning the exterior of Jack's Mercedes. He'd driven the sleek blue Porsche around to the front of the house as Jack had requested, admiring the luxurious interior and powerful thrum of the engine first-hand for the first time. Despite his job, he didn't consider himself a car enthusiast as such, but he could still appreciate a beautiful and finely designed and crafted automobile.
He'd just bent over to wipe a smudge from the front wheel rim when he heard the sound of movement behind him. Quickly straightening up, he turned and found Jack leaning against the doorway, dressed casually in jeans, white t-shirt and a grey v-neck jumper, looking relaxed and once more groomed to perfection. There was the tiniest hint of a smirk playing across Jack's sensual lips, leaving Ianto with little doubt that Jack had just been staring at his rear-end.
Their eyes locked on each other for a moment, then Jack tilted his head towards the outside, tossing a set of car keys into the air and catching them. "Come on. I'll take you for a drive."
"What?" Ianto felt his eyes widen with surprise. "Oh, um... thanks. But I need to get the car finished." He gestured at the spotless, shining vehicle.
"Looks finished to me." Jack eased himself up from his leaning stance and took a step closer. "Come on. You'll enjoy it."
"I... ah..." Ianto stammered, scrambling for a polite excuse. He looked down at his car cleaning attire of faded jeans, old and somewhat wrinkled long-sleeve t-shirt, and worn trainers. The padded jacket he wore while working outside when it was cold was hanging beside the door behind Jack. "I'm not really dressed for going anywhere." He could change back into his suit, but that didn't seem appropriate for what Jack was proposing.
Jack waved a hand dismissively. "You're fine. Look, if you don't want to come with me, fair enough. I'm not asking you as my employee." His forehead crinkled in a slight frown. "You said we could be friends. I'm asking you as a friend. I just thought you might enjoy it. Besides, I'd enjoy the company."
Ianto suppressed a sigh, knowing that there was no way he could refuse without hurting Jack's feelings. Plus, he was still on the clock and therefore obliged to do what his employer asked of him, regardless of Jack's assurances otherwise. Technically, it meant that Jack was paying to spend time with him, which didn't sit well with him. It wasn't his biggest concern, however. With the memory of what had happened the last time they'd spent time together as friends, combined with the eyeful of Jack he'd gotten earlier, he wasn't sure that he trusted himself around Jack in a non-work related situation.
Inwardly cursing the man again, Ianto tried to offer a genial smile. "All right. Just give me a minute to lock up."