Ianto carefully wiped the shaving foam from his chin and stared at his reflection in the mirror, tilting his head slightly to see the scabbed over scratch marks on his temple.
After seven long days of recuperation, or house arrest, as Ianto like to think of it, nothing had changed. Ianto still had bouts of well, dementia was a good word. Scientific. Slightly scary. When he has no control of his, frequently embarrassing, actions. There seemed to be no logic to the attacks. They came and went as they pleased, breaking up an other wise dull day.
Jack and Owen had been taking turns going back to work or babysitting, and Owen had more or less moved in, camping out on either the couch or bed depending on the state Ianto was in.
The doctor had, reluctantly, decided they couldn't wait forever and that Ianto could go back to the hub with supervision. Strict desk and coffee duty, with Gwen relegated to weevil feeding duties. No one was quite sure what a scrambled Ianto would think of weevils, or vise versa.
Ianto was thrilled and nearly bouncing, internally of course, from the moment he Owen had made his proclamation. He had hardly slept, spending most of the night going over hundreds of different suit, tie, and coffee order combinations.
Jack was amused, if worried, and Owen was as usual, only half awake at this time of the morning, and couldn't care less about how he might like his coffee two hours from now.
Half awake and leaning against the bathroom doorway. Owen had been convinced after one slight incident, that Ianto shouldn't be allowed behind closed doors by himself. Like he had really hurt anyone by spending the better part of an hour conversing with the spray of water while in the shower. Sure, he had run up his water bill, and somehow managed to scratch his face, but he'd hardly hurt anyone.
He rolled his eyes, nudging Owen as he passed, towel wrapped firmly around his hips. "Showers yours. Maybe it'll wake you up."
Owen grunted, as he yanked off his t-shirt, either not bothering to, or not awake enough to answer yet. He kicked out, shutting the door behind him with his heel
Jack was already wide-awake, showered and dressed, and sipping his mug of coffee on the couch. He gave Ianto a wide grin and a leer as the younger man left the bathroom. "Oooh yeah. That's what I like to see! Maybe lose the towel..."
Ianto laughed. "Sorry, Love. I don't think Owen will let you have me yet." He jumped back as Jack made a playful grab for his towel, ending up half way into the closet and using the door to block any further advances.
"Behave." Ianto chided lightly, pulling on the clothing he had already picked out. He'd never get into work if Jack got his hands on him, in his state of undress. And Owen wouldn't be best pleased finding his 'No Sex' directive had been ignored.
He peeked out from behind the door as he knotted his tie, and threw the towel at Jack's head, giving himself time to make it to the relative safety of the small kitchenette as the captain fought with the damp cloth.
Dodging the towel thrown back at him, Ianto set about making himself another mug of coffee, and glanced at his watch. Maybe make a spot of breakfast, since knowing the other man, it would be a while before Owen finished primping.
Ianto had just gotten a pan and a fresh carton of eggs out when Owen stepped out of the bathroom, hand clamped onto the towel wrapped around his waist, dripping and scowling. Ianto wondered if the shower had even gotten hot.
"I forgot to bring my bag in with me. Where'd it go?"
Ianto pointed. "Same place it's been for the last six days. The closet. Where clothes go."
Owen made a face. "S'not like I'm moving in permanently. I'm just here till you're less scrambled and can be left alone." He protested as he found his bag and drug it back into the bathroom, leaving the door open.
"Still, better to put things away," Ianto argued. "And not have them in the middle of the floor where we can trip over them. Even more important in my...condition." Though really, he had only tripped over Jack that once, and it had been his fault for lying on the floor.
Owen muttered around a mouthful of toothpaste, and Ianto went back to fixing breakfast.
000
Owen pulled a face at his reflection, ruffling his hair just so before turning back to his overnight bag. He frowned and rummaged through it again, then swore.
"Ianto! Clothes?" he asked, sticking his head out the door.
"Closet!" Ianto called back, cracking an egg into the pan.
Owen secured his towel more tightly and moved to the closet, finding his clothes neatly hung up near the front. Apparently Ianto had done the wash. Owen rolled his eyes.
Jack reached over to poke Owen in the side when he was close enough.
"Jeez, I know I pay you more then enough money to buy food." Jack teased. "Didn't they mention in medical school, ribs are supposed to be on the inside?"
Owen swatted his hand and glared. "I have a fast metabolism." He saw Ianto glance over with a worried frown before pausing, tilting his head and going back to his cooking. He glared again, and drug his hand quickly across his throat, clearly telling Jack to cut it out, and pointed at the younger man.
Jack grinned.
Owen didn't bother hiding in the bathroom or closet, just yanked his jeans on under his towel, then tossed the towel over the closet door while he pulled in a t-shirt, and ran his hands though his wet hair, pushing it back out of his face.
"Going commando? Kinky." Jack said with a grin, then poked Owen's ribs again, looking slightly disturbed, but at least lowering his voice. "You know, I think you're even thinner then the last time I saw you naked."
"Oh shut up, already. I'm within healthy limits for my age and height. Are we ready to go?" Owen directed the last bit towards Ianto.
The younger man made an annoyed noise.
"Iannnnto!" Owen singsonged.
"Food." Ianto answered shortly.
Owen groaned. "You've harassed me into letting you back to the hub, and now you're keeping us from getting there. I'll never understand you."
"Food." Ianto insisted, cooking.
Owen sighed and flopped down onto the couch next to Jack, who was still watching him, the mother hen gleam in his eye growing.
"You do eat right? I mean...I know you eat, I'm with you for the majority of your meals, but when you're at home, you eat food right?"
"Yes, Jack. I eat. I eat constantly in fact. It just happens I have a naturally fast metabolism, and I have a job that involves running all round Cardiff chasing down aliens, plus I work out. Burns a lot of calories." Owen gritted out though his clenched teeth.
Jack grinned again. Damn him.
Ianto set a heaping plate of food down on the table. "Owen? Come eat." He waited until Owen had finished rolling his eyes and sat at the table, then turned back to the stove and started cooking for Jack and himself, humming slightly.
"Ianto" Owen stared at his plate in disbelief. There had to be at least nine eggs, scrambled and piled high, along with four pieces of toast.
"Do you seriously expect me to eat all this?" Owen asked
"Yes." Ianto said simply not turning away from the pan.
"...Ianto, there's enough food here for a family of five!"
Jack slowly walked towards Ianto looking at him carefully. "Ianto? Sweetheart?"
"He's scrambled again isn't he? Shit I knew it was too soon to go back!" Owen growled, starting to get up.
"Eat!" Ianto snapped, turning slightly. Owen could see the younger man's hand clenched tightly around the plastic spatula, trembling. "I'm fine."
"Ianto" Jack said again quietly.
"I'm fine!" Ianto yelled and spun, the spatula flying past Jack's head to thud against the wall beside his bed. The shaking hand came up hiding his eyes as he took a series of deep uneven breaths.
Jack and Owen exchanged looks, but didn't speak. Jack stepped around Ianto, switching off the stove and dividing the remaining food between two plates and setting them on the table.
Owen stared at his eggs.
After a moment Ianto sighed. "I'm sorry. I- I'm fine. I just, slipped, for just a minute and it…" Ianto trailed off
'Scared the shit out of you?' Owen finished, silently, poking the food in front of him with his fork.
"It's all right." Jack reassured, guiding the younger man to the table and taking a seat on the bed next to him. He kept one hand on Ianto's back, rubbing small, slow circles.
"I'm sorry" Ianto said.
Well shit.
Owen stabbed a piece of egg and popped it into his mouth, then waved his fork dismissively.
"It's fine. At least you were speaking English. Could do with a few less eggs though, next time"
Ianto glanced at Owen's heaping plate, and Owen was pleased to see the slightest quirk of a smile before Ianto's head dipped back down to study his own food.
"Just eat." Owen said. "I've already promised Tosh she would get coffee today and she'll come looking for us if we don't get back to the hub soon."
Jack snorted and stole a forkful of eggs from Owen's plate, making Ianto's smile widen a little, and soon the three had settled into a quiet, and only slightly uncomfortable silence as they ate.