Disclaimer; I own nothing just borrowing I promise I'll give it right back! (After I have my fun with Jack and Ianto of course)

A/N; wow I think I was dumped in an angst pit before I wrote this. But do you ever get the feeling that you have no control over what you write? Well that's what happened here and it is seriously angst-y and I don't like angst-y Ianto but I've now got a few chapters with it. Weird. (Oh and I'm sorry for any mistakes there are most probably MANY). So ENJOY!!

Combat

Ianto was walking around the Hub, he was still furious with Jack because of what had happened with John. OK so furious probably wasn't the right word for how he was feeling, he was angry? No, that wasn't it, he was hurt? Yeah that's the one, hurt. He was hurt because of how clear it was that Jack thought so little of what they had. Just sex nothing more, not even the companionship Ianto thought they had.

The day after it happened Ianto came into work and waited for Jack to explain to him. Jack merely smiled a 'hello' and called a team meeting. There he told them that John had committed suicide and left it at that. Ianto waited after the meeting but Jack just asked for a coffee and left.

Ianto waited again, he waited all day. Even when he was leaving he waited for an explanation but he received none so left. Ianto drank away his feelings of inadequacy that night. Normally when Jack gave them the night off he would soak in the bath for an hour and sleep, but this night he drank.

When Jack called him back in, he hid his drunken state with ease and continued to wag his tail like the good tea-boy he was. He did however continue to wait for Jack to talk to him, waited for them to be alone so he could talk to the older man. When Jack had said that Ianto and him were going to the hospital without Gwen, Ianto thought that they would finally talk that he could stop waiting. They didn't talk at all, not one word was uttered between them on the way there or back. Jack seemed completely oblivious to Ianto's feelings.

So here they are, Jack and Ianto, alone in the Hub and still no talking is being done. Jack is locked away in the fortress of solitude he likes to call an office; he was filling out the reports on Owens 'accident'. He wanted desperately for Ianto to come and see him; he needed to fall into the Welshman's arms tonight. Ianto was walking around the Hub making his final rounds of the night with only the humming of the cold technology to keep him company. He wanted desperately to be as far away from Jack as physically possible but he also needed to collapse into the strong American arms.

When Ianto finished his rounds he walked to Jacks office and knocked on the door just like any other night. "I'm about to go home for the night sir, is their anything I can get for you?"

"Um… no not tonight Ianto, but thanks." Jack said not looking up from his papers.

"Well then I'll just go then." Ianto turned to leave.

"You know," Jack said making Ianto turn back around. "You don't NEED to leave." Jack inserted HIS smile here.

"Not tonight, I'm kind of tired." Said Ianto turning back around and walking out of the office

That's when Jack saw it, only for a second then it was gone. There was pain in the young mans eyes. Jack knew that there was always pain there if you looked hard enough but this time it seemed to be directed at him. Jack got up and went after him. "Ianto?"

Ianto stopped walking but didn't turn. "Is there something you wanted sir?"

"Yeah," Jack walked down to him; they were standing in the middle of the workstations. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing sir, just tired." Ianto swore to himself, he was too tired for Jack to start pretending to care now.

"What's wrong Ianto?" Jack's voice was pleading. "You do know you can tell me anything right?"

"Yeah I do, but do you?"

"What do you mean?" Jack put a hand on Ianto's shoulder. "Ianto look at me."

Ianto turned slowly and looked into Jacks eyes, he saw concern and something else he couldn't quite place. "I mean that I know I can tell you anything but I'm not sure the feeling is mutual.

"I must be really thick Ianto because I still have no idea what you mean."

Ianto took a deep breath, he shouldn't be getting frustrated with Jack because he knew he was being cryptic but he couldn't help it Jack just frustrated him. "I know what happened to John, what really happened."

"John?" Jack was taken aback; he was not expecting him to be the reason that Ianto was upset. "I know you know, I told you all what happened there."

"No Jack, you told us that he committed suicide by gassing himself in my car. But you neglected to mention that you were in the car holding his hand as he died."

Jack's eyes were wide and he looked like he had been slapped. "How do you know that?"

Ianto closed his eyes and said; "You left your earpiece in, I heard everything the two of you were saying."

Jack was silent for awhile as he let his brain process this information. He was fairly certain what Ianto was upset about now. "So you want to know why I never told any of you that I can't die."

"No Jack," Ianto said with an empty laugh. "I already knew about that."

"how?" Jack thought he had wiped his records pretty deeply

"You've never been any good in the archives."

"Oh," Jack said quietly. "So if you already knew, what's wrong?"

Ianto sat down on the nearest seat and put his head in his hands as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I told you already. I heard everything you and John said. You know, when we started this, whatever this is, I said to myself that we would help each other through the pain we feel. You know, just be there, no words, no strings just companionship. I thought you would need that because I realised how alone you must be. I actually fooled myself into believing that I could help you feel less alone."

Jack froze and realisation gripped his face. He now knew exactly what Ianto was talking about. "Ianto…"

Ianto just shook his head. "I stood right where you are now Jack and I listened to you, I listened as you told John how scared and alone you are. I stood there and listened to you take your last breath and wake up again." Ianto got up and started to walk away.

"Ianto…"

"Jack," Ianto turned to face the older man again. "Figure out what it is you want. Because you're not alone, I know you're waiting for your doctor, but while you're waiting let someone in. I'm not saying I want you to commit to me, god that would be insane. I have too much emotional baggage for a relationship and the person who manages to calm you down long enough to commit should be eligible for knighthood. What I am saying is that you need to know what you want in order to ask for it and letting someone in is worth the risk of getting hurt." Ianto walked the rest of the way to the door.

As the cog door began to roll open Jack said; "Ianto, I need you."

"I know" was the only response he received.

Don't kill me! How angst-y was that? Now I have had a request to do a sequel but I was going to continue it through season 2 any way. What I want to know is if I should include 'Last of the Time Lords'. Let me know what you think, and remember 'don't blink'

Oh and cookies for anyone who picked up the Superman reference!