13 Slips

Ianto was up and about, humming softly as he provided refreshments and the gentle slide of a hand across his arse was both welcome and pleasant so he placed a hand on the back of Jack's neck in a gentle squeeze to show it was not spurned.

Jack grinned wider, settling back as Owen droned on about a medical file and Ianto finally sat to listen, canting his head as he went though his data banks.

"We have three similar cases" he finally said and Owen perked up, "All within the last 18 months."

"Any chance of seeing them later?" Owen asked and Ianto nodded.

"After we're finished" Jack said softly, wanting Ianto to stay.

Ianto settled back to listen and before long he was taking notes, not even watching the pen.

"You know, I always wondered how you did that" Owen said softly. "You don't even know you are, do you."

Ianto looked down with surprise then balked, dropping the pen.

"I would often find little notes, I guess I thought they were from Lisa but … maybe it was my mind in overdrive." Ianto shrugged, "They were never bad, helpful things. Things that made things easier around here. I guess it was me all the time."

"I would find some of my equations finished" Tosh said and Ianto smiled.

"Oh, I love doing them" he answered, "I find it stimulating. You are so clever and I sometimes can't finish one then see that you have. I feel so proud of you when you better me."

She giggled happily and he grinned.

After the meeting they all went about their business and the files landed on Owens' desk as requested as Ianto wandered past, more for Gwen and her current search.

"Oh! Thank you!" she said with delight as she noted more than she had asked for. "You are so efficient, better than a robot."

Ianto froze, half way across the hub and slowly turned to look at her with shock.

Tosh looked up from her current file and Owen was already moving, slamming into her personal space as he demanded what she meant by that.

It was obvious by her look of confusion that she didn't understand and Jack came out to see what was wrong, his office door banging open as he strode to the railing to look down at them.

"Gwen. You just compared me to a robot. I believe it has been taken as offensive" Ianto said calmly and Gwen blinked.

Then balked.

"Oh my god!" she rose to her feet, her face pale as she started towards him "Oh Ianto, I am so sorry, me and my big gob, I didn't mean it like that, I swear to god!"

"It's OK" Ianto assured her politely, "I am much better than a robot anyway. After all, I resemble something else that requires batteries and Jack much prefers me."

Jack started to laugh as Gwen's face changed from horror to anger, the vibrator remark obviously part of something he hadn't been privy to.

"Well!" she huffed, turning bake to her workstation with sharp, angry movements.

"Perhaps in future, you get your own batteries and I shall refrain from having to know what they are for" Ianto smiled with that same politeness, "Then, I don't have to pretend I don't know who broke your workstation when it was me, with Jack on top of me trying out the same model."

Ianto turned on his heel and resumed his stalk away and Owen started to join Jack, their laughter bouncing high into the rafters as Tosh clapped her hands to her mouth with delight.

Gwen stood looking at her workstation with a mixture of horror and growing mirth as Ianto defused the entire situation with one lewd comment.

She vowed to watch her comments.

She hadn't meant to say it like that.

Owen moved over to Tosh and looked over her shoulder at her work, pretending he wasn't angry still and Tosh reached out to lightly touch his arm, comforting him.

He found he did like that.

Ianto nodded from the doorway of the kitchen, then looked up at Jack and smiled softly at his captain.

He nodded to show everything was OK and then returned to his duties.

Later that afternoon Gwen found Ianto in the lower stacks of the archives.

"Ianto, I was wondering if you would like to come home with me for Tea tonight" she said softly, and Ianto swung to face her with surprise, "Rhys is making his famous lasagna and I told him what a big mouth I was so he wondered if you were free."

Ianto seemed hesitant and she hastened to add, "Oh Jack too."

Ianto smiled and told her he would ask Jack if he was free, knowing the cheeky responses he might get if he worded it that way.

He entered to find Jack in a phone conversation and he waited patiently for him to finish.

"Yes Ianto?"

"Gwen had invited us home for Tea" Ianto said softly, "Apparently Rhys' lasagna is famous."

"Oooooh" Jack screwed his face up and Ianto felt his dick twitch, "Yummy. Yes."

Ianto couldn't agree more.