Just a short chapter, building up to the fireworks. Did I say there'd be fluff? There's fluff.

Jack was waiting when Ianto emerged from the armory. With both their coats hanging over his arm.

"Ready to go home?" he asked. Home. Jack decided he liked that word, and it had been too long since he'd had one.

Ianto fought back an unexpected yawn and glanced across the Hub. "The Rift….." he began.

Jack smiled slowly. "Covered," he announced. "I extended Mickey's contract. He didn't want to head back to London tonight, anyway, so he's going to monitor the Rift. He'll call if we're needed."

"He'll need somewhere to sleep, though," Ianto said, his brow crinkling into the frown that meant he was too tired to think straight. Jack tried not to think of it in terms like 'cute' or 'adorable' but it was becoming scarily evident that Jack Harkness now did sentiment as well as jealousy. And monogamy. Been in this century far too long. He'd have to consider changing his name again, if he wanted to preserve his reputation.

"I've already shown him the bunker," Jack said smugly.

Still the frown. "Hasn't been used for a while. He'll need fresh sheets."

"Done," Jack smirked. "Home," he repeated, holding Ianto's coat up for him to slip into.

Ianto froze in the act of sliding his arms into the sleeves and turned his head to regard Jack with suspicion. "Did we come back to some bizarre universe where you've suddenly become practical?"

Jack chuckled. "OK," he admitted. "Mickey found the bed linen himself. But since you've done the hero thing today, I decided to take care of the rest." His hands lingered over Ianto's shoulders as he tweaked the coat collar into place. "Which includes taking care of you."

The faintest hint of a blush tinted Ianto's cheeks. "Mickey did most of it," he mumbled, doing his bit to put the world back into balance by taking Jack's coat and helping him into it.

"Odd," Jack commented. "He said you did it all."

Ianto shook his head with enthusiasm. "I was just going in circles until he got here."

Jack smiled fondly. They were both as bad as each other. "According to Mickey, we'd still be stuck there without you."

Odd how he hadn't realised how similar the two young men were. Completely different on first sight, but both of them accomplished so much and hid behind someone else when the time came for recognition. No wonder they got along so well. And with that simple thought, the little demon of jealousy Jack had repressed for so much of his life opened its beady green eyes and peered hotly from somewhere deep within, warning him anew that love meant loss.

"I'll go make sure he knows where everything is," Ianto decided.

The green-eyed demon took exception and roared - using Jack's mouth.

"I told you he's fine," Jack heard himself saying. "I'm tired and I'm heading home. Are you coming with me or are you gonna stay here and hang out with Mickey?" Jack cringed, more from the petulant tone than the words, and tried to tell himself it wasn't really his fault. He was new at this jealousy crap, after all.

Ianto's eyebrows rose quizzically. "Of course I want to come home," he answered. His voice held more of confusion than defensiveness. The demon grumbled its way back into hiding and left Jack feeling more than a little bit foolish. Especially considering there was a definite twinkle now buried deep in Ianto's eyes.

"I'm just going to say goodbye, OK?" Ianto continued, and his voice was soothing now. Damn. Rumbled. "I won't be long, Jack. Meet you at the car, if you like."

Jack flapped a reassuring hand. "Of course. Sorry. Just tired. You know, what with being executed and playing dead….and…." and broke off abruptly as Ianto kissed him into silence.

-XXX-

"We're home, Ianto."

Now that, Ianto decided, was a very nice way to wake up. Jack's voice was accompanied by the press of lips against his temple and a sizeable dose of pheromones tingling its way through his lungs. And hearing Jack refer to the flat as 'home' warmed Ianto in ways that big strong Welshmen never admitted to. At least, not around emotionally-repressed fifty-first century Captains.

Ianto was still fighting sleep-heavy eyelids when a gust of cold air chilled his side and reminded him he'd fallen asleep in the car. With Jack driving. He really must have been exhausted.

"So are you gonna wake up or shall I just carry you inside?"

Ianto's eyes snapped open the rest of the way as Jack's arm slid beneath his knees. "Don't you dare," he huffed.

Unfortunately, scrambling out of the SUV with no assistance - except Jack's laughter - drained all the energy his short nap supplied and left him sagging onto the couch with a distinct lack of grace and his eyes already losing the battle to stay open. But it didn't matter. He was home. God-knew-how-far across space and time and back home for dinner. When, Ianto wondered with bemusement, did this become a normal day?

The couch dipped as Jack sank down next to him. "Are you still tired?"

Ianto yawned hugely. "Knackered," he admitted. He opened his eyes, which had squeezed completely shut during the yawn, to see Jack looking back at him with an odd expression. "What?"

"Just waiting for hell to freeze over," Jack answered. "That's the first time since you were injured that you've admitted to being tired."

Ianto dropped his head onto the back of the couch as thought about it. "First time you've asked," he pointed out.

"I asked all the time," Jack protested.

"You didn't ask me," Ianto insisted. "You told me." He raised a hand and started ticking points off on his fingers.

"You're tired, Ianto, get some sleep. You must be hungry, Ianto, eat this. Take these, Ianto, I can tell you're in pain." The atrocious attempt at an American accent grated on Jack's ears. He suddenly understood every one of Ianto's requests to 'stop mangling the Welsh language, Jack.'

"Whether I was or not," Ianto finished, thankfully using his own voice again. "Drove me crazy."

"So all that denial was just you being stubborn? Isn't that a bit childish?"

"Undoubtedly," Ianto agreed. "Then again, you were treating me like a child, so what else could you expect?"

The pain in Jack's eyes registered an instant later and Ianto clamped his mouth shut against any further vemon that might spill out. He stroked Jack's hand in silent apology and moved into the arms that reached out to enfold him. "Martha said the steroids should be out of my system in a day or two," he added. "At which point I'll hopefully lose this foot-in-mouth tendency."

Jack's face cleared. "And what else did Martha say?"

"That I'm healing well but I should avoid heavy lifting and rest when I'm tired. Which I'm doing, see? Came home from work early and here I am flopping on the couch and letting you make dinner."

Jack grinned. "Hint taken. And I promised you a reward if you did what the nice doctor told you, didn't I?"

Ianto yawned again. "You were going to stop being patronizing?" he suggested.

Jack chuckled, a low rumbling that Ianto could feel through the shoulder pressed against Jack's chest.

Ianto smiled. "Fireworks display, wasn't it? Didn't think you'd still want to go, given you got snatched by some yourself today."

Jack blinked. "Hadn't thought about it like that." He unwrapped himself from around Ianto and headed somewhat reluctantly for the kitchen. Pots and pans clattered as he dragged various items out of the cupboards. His voice drifted up from somewhere under the counter. "I'll make us something to eat. Then if you want to you can get a few hours sleep and we'll head over later if you're up to it. How's that sound?"

"Organised." Ianto answered, through another jaw-cracking yawn. "I'm impressed. You've got someone watching the Rift, you got us home without a speeding ticket, and now you're cooking. If you ever learn to make coffee you won't need me around anymore."

The tone was teasing, but the wistful words stung. Gwen's scolding from earlier today floated through Jack's mind. "…. you need him. So for God's sake, Jack, stop pretending you don't, before you convince him."

It was so damned annoying when Gwen was right.

"Don't ever say that, Ianto," Jack said, around the tightness in his throat. "I'll always need you." His voice broke slightly, but he forced the words out anyway. "Scares the hell out of me just how much."

Silence. Heart hammering. "Ianto? Say something, for shit's sake."

Still no response. Jack moved back out of the kitchen in slow motion, not sure what reaction to expect. Being dragged into the bedroom would probably be a preference. Another snog would be nice. Maybe a blush. An attempt to laugh it off, even. Discomfort. Denial. Actually, anything other than this deafening silence.

All he got was a snore. A polite, even musical 'caused by the head being at an awkward angle' snore.

Jack snickered at the anticlimax. Ianto was asleep again, slumped against the arm of the couch. Head sagging onto his chest, ridiculously long eyelashes resting on his cheeks, mouth the tiniest bit open. Should have realized, Jack thought, amusement coating a barely acknowledged sense of relief. The only time we ever say this stuff is when one of us is unconscious.

Oh well, some wise man said that actions speak louder than words, anyway.

The next chapter should be the last. Fluff and angst and lots of making up...Hope you've enjoyed.