Torchwood Files

Chapter 37: Combat

A/N: Warnings for violence and mature themes in this chapter. Not much actual sex, but it's mentioned. Combat is one of my favorite episodes of the first season, especially since things start turning dark. Please enjoy, read and review.

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Ianto couldn't remember a time since the cannibals when he'd had a worse two weeks. First, with Owen more erratic than usual about when he came to work, Ianto was being pressed into the field, and he didn't like it. He hated handling guns, but he did it, knowing that Jack needed him and that he'd do anything for Jack. He'd had to watch Jack die several times while on missions, and the sick feeling in his stomach waiting for him to return was getting worse with each death he witnessed.

Second, Jack's temper was off the charts, and had been since John Ellis died. He snapped and snarled at everyone. He was constantly angry, mostly at Owen, who wasn't there, so Ianto ended up taking the brunt of it so that Jack didn't alienate the rest of the team. Ianto still didn't believe that two days after their dinner-that-wasn't-a-date everything went to shit. But, on second thought, he wasn't surprised, either.

Third, Jack refused to have sex with him.

Not that Ianto minded too much about the sex, because the last four times they'd tried, Jack's temper had gotten out of control and Ianto had used his safeword. They weren't even playing or doing anything kinky, and Jack hadn't hit him, just been too rough for him to take comfortably. And since Jack was in no mood to be on the bottom, or do anything other than fuck Ianto, Ianto's hands were figuratively tied. The most recent time, Jack just collapsed, sobbing, unable to be comforted, afraid that he'd hurt Ianto too badly. It took Ianto three hours to reassure Jack that he was just sore, and that he'd be fine. Jack refused to have sex with him after that.

Owen noticed Ianto's slight limp two days later and corralled him into the Autopsy Bay for an exam Ianto tried desperately to get out of, knowing what Owen would find. Fortunately, Jack had already sent the women home for a rare "night without Torchwood" when Owen unceremoniously told Ianto to drop his trousers and get on the table.

"I don't give a flying fuck if you have safewords if you let him do this to you!" Owen shouted at Ianto as Ianto pulled his trousers up after the exam. "You're a grown man! If it hurts, tell him to bugger off and put his dick somewhere else! I'll not be patching you up every other day because you let him hurt you! Do you have any idea what kinds of diseases you could get with sex this rough?"

"No," Ianto replied, mustering as much dignity as he could, crossing his arms over his chest. "And I don't care. Jack needs me, and if this is how he needs me, this is what I'm doing!"

"Jack!" Owen thundered, his voice loud enough to echo across the Hub and startle Myfanwy in her nest. "Get the fuck over here this instant!"

"What?" Jack snarled, leaning over the railings above the Autopsy Bay. "This had better be good, Owen, because I am not in the mood."

"Not in the mood?" Owen sneered. "Good, because your moods are hurting Ianto here," he said, waving his hands in Ianto's general direction. "I'm putting him on preventative antibiotics because you can't seem to control yourself and he can't seem to say no."

"What?" Ianto demanded, turning to Owen. "You didn't tell me —"

"Ianto, what are you keeping from me?" Jack asked in that silky voice that meant Jack was on the verge of melting down or causing serious bodily harm to whoever was nearest.

"I —"

"Two days since you fucked and he's still bleeding," Owen shouted, cutting Ianto off. "See, he didn't think you needed to know that. He thought if he kept it quiet and gave you some time off, he'd get better and —"

"But we stopped…" Jack breathed, anger melting into confusion and hurt. "You told me to stop and I stopped…" he said to Ianto.

"Well, he didn't tell you soon enough," Owen snapped. "He's —"

"Enough, Owen," Ianto interrupted. "I'll tell him myself."

"Will you? You clearly didn't before."

"You want to be here? Hear me say it? Humiliate me? Fine." Ianto turned to Jack, who was still looming over them both from above. "The last few times we've been together — when I've used my safeword — I waited too long. I let you hurt me, because I thought it would help you get the anger out, like we did after Lisa…"

"Four times you've made him bleed, Harkness," Owen interjected. "Four times he didn't tell you, or me, or get any kind of treatment —"

Jack's mouth dropped open in horror. He stood there, staring at Ianto as if he'd never seen him before in his life. Before Owen or Ianto could react, Jack grabbed a glass beaker from Owen's desk and threw it as hard as he could at the floor, deliberately in the opposite direction from the Autopsy Bay.

"You promised you'd never let me do that!" Jack shouted, throwing another beaker. Tears streamed down his face, unheeded in his anger. "You promised you'd tell me! You promised you'd stop me! I trusted you to do it!"

"Jack —" Ianto started, stepping forward and holding out a hand in his direction.

"How can I ever have sex with you again if you don't tell me when I'm hurting you?" Jack demanded, anguished. He threw a third beaker, then turned and ran, disappearing into the lower levels. Ianto bolted after him.

"Owen, get something to knock him out!" Ianto shouted behind him. "He might hurt himself!"

"Fuck!" Owen grabbed a hypodermic needle filled with a standard sedative and ran after them, throwing one of his spare med kits over his shoulder, cursing colorfully the entire time. He nearly tripped when he heard the first gunshot. Coming around the corner, he froze as Ianto raised his gun and fired. Jack collapsed.

Before Owen could process what was happening, Ianto was on his knees next to Jack, rolling him onto his back and pressing a handkerchief to the bullet wound in Jack's thigh.

"Now you listen to me, Jack Harkness," Ianto hissed, pressing firmly on the wound. "You are not responsible for this. Do you understand?"

"Ianto…" Jack groaned.

"Do you understand?" Ianto shouted, pressing harder. Jack cried out in pain.

"I understand! I understand!" Jack shouted back. "Ha'kamma shi! Ha'kamma shi!"

"A'heh'kamma shi tote?" Ianto demanded. "What do you understand?"

"Ianto…"

"A'heh'kamma shi tote?" Ianto repeated, louder, pressing harder on the injury.

"You know what you're doing…" Jack whimpered.

"Remember that," Ianto growled, releasing the wound. Jack dropped his head to the concrete floor, breathing a sigh of relief. Ianto guided his hand to his leg. "Do you want something for the pain?" Ianto asked gently.

"No," Jack answered, gritting his teeth, his breathing ragged. "I'll be fine in a minute."

"Owen, give him something," Ianto ordered. He pressed a bloody hand to Jack's forehead. "Kip'ta seme heh, ashe," Ianto added in a low tone. Jack's lips twitched in a slight smile. "You're going to be alright."

Owen collapsed to his knees next to Jack and quickly checked his vital signs before injecting an analgesic. "Let me look at the wound," Owen asked, pulling Jack's hand away. Ianto produced a torch and shined the light on Jack's bloody leg. Owen cut away the fabric of Jack's trousers and gasped. As he and Ianto watched, the wound closed, the skin looking as smooth as if he'd never been shot.

"Told you I'd be fine," Jack muttered. With their help, he sat up. "Bullet went right through," he commented. "You're a brilliant shot, Ianto, as expected." He patted Ianto's arm. "Must be that extra training we've been doing," he said with his usual flirtatious tone.

"Shit," Owen breathed. "I knew you healed fast, but this —"

"Good genes," Jack explained, interrupting him. "And, before you ask, no, you can't do any tests."

"Well, fuck me," Owen muttered.

"Come on, sir, let's go have that talk I've been putting off," Ianto said, standing and offering Jack his hand to help him to his feet.

Owen looked from one to the other of them. "That's it? You shoot him and now you're going to have a talk? What's wrong with you two?"

"We have an understanding," Ianto explained. "Coffee or scotch?" he asked Jack.

"Coffee, please."

"Owen?"

"Scotch. Definitely Scotch."

***TW TW TW***

"How much retcon did you give him?" Jack asked as he accepted a mug of coffee from Ianto.

"Enough for six hours. He's asleep already, so I wiped his notes and made it look like he fell asleep while writing about Weevils," Ianto answered, settling onto the camp bed next to Jack with his own coffee.

"Hmm," Jack replied, sipping the hot beverage. He was wearing fresh clothes and looked like he'd just gotten out of the shower.

"I'm sorry I had to shoot you like that," Ianto began hesitantly.

"No, I was completely out of control," Jack said. "You should've done it last week."

"I don't like hurting you."

"I know," Jack said with a sigh. "But I don't like hurting you either, and you've been letting me. Like I said before, how am I supposed to trust you when we're having sex if you won't talk to me?"

"I just didn't know what to do," Ianto protested. "Ever since John died you've been angry and withdrawn. And Owen's making it worse by being unreliable, which makes you more angry. You haven't been to my flat in weeks, and you won't talk to me. What was I supposed to do instead?"

"I don't know," Jack said softly, staring into the empty mug he cradled in his hands. "When he died, and I sat with him… I was jealous," Jack finally admitted. "He could let go, and die, and he wouldn't come back, but I'll never have that option. Do you know how hard it is to keep going when everything I knew growing up hasn't even happened yet? I'm stuck in this backwards time, and I can't do anything about it."

"So, you want to die," Ianto stated. He stared straight ahead at the blank wall in front of him.

"Yes," Jack whispered. "I mean, no. I mean — I don't know what I mean. Sometimes… sometimes I do, but just as often, I don't."

"What keeps you going?"

"You mean aside from the fact that I keep coming back? A few things. Knowing the Doctor is out there and hoping that he can fix me. Having Torchwood and a mission to protect people." Jack took a deep breath before continuing. "Lately, knowing you has helped."

"Me?" Ianto whipped his head around to meet Jack's eyes.

"You know how long it's been since I've had someone like you in my life," Jack murmured. "I've been trying not to shut you out."

"It hasn't been working very well," Ianto pointed out.

"You haven't been talking to me, either."

"No, I guess I haven't been."

"Tell me what's going on medically, Ianto," Jack said, putting down his coffee mug and turning to face Ianto full on. Ianto put down his own mug.

"It's not as bad as Owen said. Just a little blood." He looked away from Jack, then looked back at him. "The first time I used my safeword, I stopped you immediately when it started hurting. There was a little bit of blood. I took care of it. Got some cream at Tesco's. The second time was the same. But the third time, you seemed to need it so much, to get out the aggression, I let you continue longer than I should have. I know that now. It hurt a lot, but you were so good to me afterwards, I let it go."

"It was your day off the next day," Jack remembered. "You went home in the middle of the night and I didn't hear from you until you came in two days later. I had no idea I'd hurt you enough to make you bleed."

"I didn't want to worry you."

"I'm worried now."

"I'm sorry."

"And the last time?" Jack asked.

"I didn't let it go as long, but I was still tender from the time before. And then you broke down like that, and —"

"It was too much like what had happened to me," Jack interrupted. "You kept using your safeword, and I saw the blood that time, and it just threw me back there."

"A flashback?"

"I think so. I was right back there… 1871, a small town in Virginia. I was beaten and raped by a whole gang and left for dead. I think I bled out, though at the time I just thought I'd fainted. I didn't know I couldn't really die back then. All for coming on to the wrong guy. It happened three more times in two more states over the next five years before I finally learned the signals of the times." Jack shuddered at the memory. "So when I saw you…"

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Ianto whispered. "But that's not what you did to me. You weren't forcing me. You weren't trying to hurt me. It was an accident. A stupid accident because I didn't think enough."

Jack pulled Ianto onto his lap so that Ianto was straddling him. He held Ianto close. Ianto put his arms around Jack. They sat like that for nearly an hour without speaking before Ianto tried to pull away.

"I should check on Owen," he said, regretful that he would have to leave the embrace.

"What did he say about a prognosis?"

"I can't bottom for two weeks, then take it slow and easy."

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "You want to stay the night? Just to sleep?"

"No. But you can come to mine, if you want," Ianto hastened to add when Jack's face fell at the rejection. "We'd have to get some food on the way."

"I gave the girls the night off. Gwen has a date with Rhys, and I don't want her to lose that. I can forward Rift activity to my wriststrap."

"And Owen?"

"Left twenty minutes ago. I heard the alarm."

"Well, then, let's go ourselves," Ianto said, pecking Jack on the cheek before standing.

"Owen's right, you know," Jack blurted. "We do have a fucked up relationship if you can shoot me and everything's fine a few hours later."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Ianto said sincerely. "I mean, I would, but I'm content with what we have. I've made that clear, right?"

Jack nodded.

"You have," he said very softly, not quite meeting Ianto's eyes.

Ianto bent to kiss Jack on the lips before moving to the ladder. As he put his foot on the first rung, an alert sounded. He clambered up and checked the computer. "Weevil," he reported as Jack joined him in Jack's office. "Just one."

"You go home," Jack said, patting Ianto on the back. "I'll take care of it and join you once it's back in the sewers."

"Be careful," Ianto warned.

Jack smiled sadly and patted Ianto on the back again. "I'll see you later."

***TW TW TW***

Ianto had not been to Tosh's flat since she moved. He liked it. It was elegant. It was very her. He frowned at the picture of Owen on her fridge. Owen, who was in the hospital for getting into a cage with a Weevil.

"Make yourself at home," Tosh said listlessly as she dropped her pocketbook on the kitchen table. She then went into her living room and collapsed onto the sofa. Ianto followed her shortly with a bottle of vodka he found in her freezer and a container of orange juice. She looked up at him in surprise as he put two glasses on the coffee table in front of them. "What?"

"We are going to get very drunk," Ianto declared. He mixed drinks for them and handed her one.

"Why?" she asked, obediently taking a sip.

"Because Owen and Jack have been colossal idiots for the past few weeks, and we need to let go and yell at them in absentia."

"Works for me," Tosh murmured.

They didn't say much for a while as they concentrated on drinking. Finally, when Tosh felt the buzz of the alcohol, she turned to Ianto and asked the question she'd been wanting to ask for a long time.

"What's going on with you and Jack?"

Ianto only just managed not to spit out his drink. "Not much. He's been angry and upset for weeks now. Hasn't been talking to me."

"The other week, when I found you two on the couch…"

"Like I said then, John stole my car and I was waiting for Jack to bring it back so I could go home. Then he was in a bad way, so I took care of him. We just happened to fall asleep like that."

"So you're not still —"

"Having sex? No, we're not. Not for a while." Ianto sighed, wondering if the nearly three weeks since they'd actually managed to have sex successfully counted as 'a while' and if he was actually lying to Tosh. His cock informed him quite adamantly that eighteen days was much more than a while and he needed to find Jack and fix the problem. Immediately. He suppressed the urge.

He didn't want to lie, but he knew Jack wanted their relationship secret, and Jack's wishes mattered more than his own most of the time, as unhealthy as he knew it was. He also knew Tosh wouldn't be able to keep from telling the others if she knew the full extent of his relationship with Jack, if her reaction to just seeing them sleeping on the couch fully-clothed was any indication.

"We talk," he conceded. "And I stay late because he's lonely. He likes that I'll listen to his stories without grumbling the way Owen does." Ianto paused, debating his words. "We're friends. We give each other comfort."

"I saw you kissing just the other day!" Tosh exclaimed. "When we got back from letting Janet go."

"Being friends with Jack includes the occasional kiss or night sleeping in his bed without sex," Ianto explained. "I complained about that before, didn't I? Back when we were dealing with those fairies and I was just back to work."

"Sleeping with him without sex, though? Is that even possible?"

"Unfortunately," Ianto muttered.

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Nothing will ever happen, Tosh. He's too afraid of being alone to let anyone in. That's part of why we stopped. After Lisa, we both felt too betrayed by the other to continue as we'd been doing."

"But that night I was there at your flat, he seemed… like he really cared, like he wanted you to be OK."

"He does care," Ianto said. "But not the way I need. So I try to help him keep the loneliness at bay and he kisses me sometimes."

"That's sad," she said softly, finishing her drink and helping herself to another. "Maybe if you could tell him your feelings something could change. Like, maybe he'd be willing to give it another chance."

"Maybe you could tell Owen your feelings," Ianto countered.

"He'll never notice me," she said sadly. "I brought him flowers in the hospital this morning. Did you know that? Big mistake. He swore at me and threw the flowers on the ground."

"Wow. That's harsh."

"Yeah. Well, I should've expected it. He's been out of it as long as Jack has, since Diane left."

"They had a fling, right?" Ianto asked.

"He seems to think he's in love with her. He blames Jack for her leaving, even though it was her choice. Jack wasn't even around at the time. I think he was still recovering from what happened with John."

"Gwen was pretty involved with that girl, Emma. I wonder if there's a pattern of some kind. They've all been in bad moods since then."

"Who knows?" Tosh asked sadly. "You're going to stay over, right? I don't think you should be driving."

"I'll stay. Unless Jack gets it in his head to come find me. The man can be possessive!" Ianto giggled, suddenly feeling the alcohol more. "One time, we were eating dinner, and this alien came by to talk to Jack and ended up coming on to me. Not a lot, but Jack threatened him to back off. You should've seen it! Jack was doing the whole playing-with-a-sharp-knife-while-glaring-at-the-enemy thing. I felt like, if this is what Jack's like with his friends, what's he like if he's dating someone?"

"Dating, huh?"

"He took me to dinner," Ianto admitted proudly in that loud, drunk way that he would probably regret in the morning. "He didn't call it a date, but it felt like a date," he continued. "In fact, he was adamant that it wasn't a date."

"You think he stressed it because he was worried what you'd think if it were a date? That he'd be worried you'd want more if you called it a date?"

"It wasn't a date," Ianto declared.

"Did you want it to be a date?"

"Yeah," Ianto whispered. "I kissed him for the first time a year ago tomorrow. I'll be thinking of it all day. With Lisa, we celebrated when we had this anniversary. We went out, had some fun. I don't even know if Jack remembers."

"How about I take the overnight shift? That way you can do something with him."

"We can try. He's been so moody lately, I doubt he'd think of it even if you did volunteer to watch the Rift."

"All we can do is try, right? And it doesn't have to be anything, right? Just invite him to yours for a movie, or something. I heard him muttering about having to watch some James Bond to impress you. You could offer to show him one."

"He wants to impress me?" Ianto demanded.

"Apparently."

"Oh."

Just then, Ianto's phone beeped to indicate a text message. He grinned happily and showed the text to Tosh. She squealed in excitement and hugged him.

Save tomorrow night for me. I'm taking you out. 7:00, Rift willing. - J

***TW TW TW***

"Jack!"

Jack, almost to the door of Ianto's building, paused when he heard his name. He turned and smiled at Sharon Barry as she walked up to him, her arms full of groceries.

"Sharon, such a delight," he said with a big smile. He kissed her cheek and took the groceries off her hands. He liked Ianto's neighbor, especially since she seemed so comfortable about their relationship.

"You tease," she answered, patting his arm now that hers were free. "Are you just going up, or are you taking him somewhere tonight?"

Jack held open the door for her. "Actually, we're going out. Today's a year since our first kiss."

"Aren't you romantic!" she exclaimed. "Tell me all about it," she encouraged as they stepped into the lift.

"Well, we'd known each other for six weeks, but had only started talking two weeks before," Jack explained.

"For you that means flirting, doesn't it?" she asked knowingly.

"Well, you know me," he replied with a grin. "Of course I was flirting. The man's beautiful. But that morning, Ianto was handing me a coffee and just — well… he told me that it was against company policy to kiss him, with that raised eyebrow and smooth accent and a twinkle in his eye. He was practically begging to be kissed. So what was I supposed to do? I kissed him."

The lift came to a halt with the usual bell chime and Jack held the doors open for Sharon to proceed him.

"And?" she encouraged, motioning for him to continue.

"That's really all there was. We were at work, and the others were coming in soon, so we left it at that. Kind of thrilling, actually, trying to see what we could get away with."

"Office romances are nice, aren't they?" she mused, fitting her key into the lock on her door. "I'll take those from you now, dear," she said, holding out her arms for the groceries. "You have fun tonight. And do try to remember which door is yours this time!" She winked and disappeared into her flat.

Jack shook his head, still smiling, and knocked on Ianto's door. When Ianto didn't answer, he knocked again. Suddenly worried, he pulled out his key and let himself in. The sound of the shower running instantly relaxed him. He took off his shoes and coat and settled onto Ianto's sofa to wait. On the coffee table Ianto's journal lay open. Jack couldn't help himself but pick it up, promising that he'd just see if he was mentioned before putting it down.

Twelve months ago today I kissed Jack for the first time. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was so nervous, and I wanted it so badly. I must've spent an hour building up the courage to do it, and then, all of a sudden, there he was and I just blurted out something about harassment at work and he kissed me.

It was like no kiss I'd ever had. And not just because he's a man. Maybe despite that? There was just something so primal, so right about it. I easily could've lost myself in that kiss. I think I did, for a minute.

I was still so conflicted back then. Lisa, Jack, not knowing what to do. He saved me, in the end.

I'm not conflicted anymore. I want Jack. However he'll have me. However long that happens to be. Gotta live life for today, right?

It's hard to imagine that nineteen days ago we were sitting in a nice restaurant, enjoying each other's company. So much has happened since then. At least his moods seem to have settled down. I don't like it when he's so angry all the time, and not just because he hurt me by accident. And yes, Jack, if you're reading this, it was an accident. I'm not upset. And now I'm better, so we can have as much sex as we want. Owen might say I should wait another week, but I don't care. Jack will take good care of me. I trust him. And it's been so long since we were together…

He's taking me out tonight. Our second dinner-that's-not-a-date. I wonder where we'll go? Hopefully no alien exes of his show up. Any exes, actually. Just for tonight, I want to be the only one he's thinking of.

"You are, Ianto Jones," Jack whispered. "And accident or not, I am sorry for hurting you." He closed the book and put it down. He stroked the cover. In the distance, the water shut off. Jack jumped to his feet and walked towards the bedroom, calling out as if he'd just arrived.

"Ianto? You here?"

Ianto poked his head out of the bathroom. "Jack! You're — um —"

"Early?" Jack suggested.

"I was going to say right on time, since I'm a bit late," Ianto said, blushing slightly. "First time for everything, I suppose."

Jack stepped forward and kissed Ianto deeply. "Take all the time you need, ashe," Jack murmured. "I'll go amuse myself out there." He motioned to the living room.

"Just don't read my diary," Ianto mock-ordered.

"Um, yeah. About that…" Jack looked away, clearly embarrassed. "I kind of glanced at it. Just the page that was open. Before I realized what it was. No, that's not true. I knew what it was. I was just curious. Well, curious and nosy. And rude. I just wanted to see if I was in there. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry!" He chanced a glance back up at Ianto's face, realizing that he was babbling.

"Oh, Jack," Ianto said fondly, grabbing his face in both hands. He pressed their foreheads together. "I'm running late because I was debating whether or not to leave it out for you. I knew you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from reading it if it was just sitting there."

"So it wasn't some kind of test of my self-control?"

"No!" Ianto smiled and kissed Jack quickly. "Sometimes it's easier to say things on paper than in person."

"Oh."

"So if you see it out like that, feel free to read the entry I leave out, OK? Just don't go looking for it."

"Sure. Thanks."

"Now go amuse yourself. I have to get dressed."

"Are you sure you don't want help?" Jack asked with a leer, his eyes roving over Ianto's mostly naked body. Ianto shook his head and pushed Jack in the direction of the living room. "For the record," Jack offered over his shoulder. "I want you thinking only about me tonight, too."

***TW TW TW***

"You're taking me to the Hub for dinner?" Ianto asked skeptically as Jack pulled the SUV into its accustomed spot in their secret, underground garage. "Honestly, Jack, I'm not impressed."

"Have a little faith!" Jack said, undoing his seatbelt. "I'll have you know that we're just here to pick up a little surprise I got you. We don't have to be at the restaurant for another hour."

"Please don't tell me you got me an anniversary gift," Ianto muttered, dread filling his veins with ice. "I don't think I could handle that."

"Of course not!" Jack practically shouted. "We're not dating," he added as an afterthought that was anything but, as they both were so focused on it. Jack climbed out of the car and motioned for Ianto to join him.

"Good," Ianto replied, getting out of the car. "Because if we were going to do gifts, which we're not, I'd hope you would tell me so I could be a part of it, too."

"Here it is," Jack said, motioning with his hand.

Ianto walked around to Jack's side of the car to see what Jack was looking at. He froze, his eyes wide with surprise, his mouth hanging open inelegantly.

"Well?" Jack asked, pretending indifference as Ianto circled the brand new midnight blue Saab two spaces away from the SUV. "What do you think?"

Ianto peered in the windows at the cream leather seats and state-of-the-art navigation system. He stroked the roof of the car. "I'm not sure what this means," he finally admitted, turning back to Jack, who had moved to lean casually against the SUV.

"Well, I know you've been driving a rental for the last few weeks while you figured out what you wanted, and I thought you'd like something a little more upscale than the Audi, and it was my fault that the Audi was ruined anyway, so, I, um, bought you this as a replacement," Jack said, the words falling out of his mouth in a rush until the last bit where he sounded worried about what Ianto would think of his choice. "It's not a gift," he hastened to add. "It's a replacement. And I don't want you to use it for Torchwood things. It's for you."

"You bought me a car?" Ianto asked, completely flabbergasted.

"Yeah," Jack breathed, taking a small step forward.

"Wait. You bought it, or Torchwood bought it?"

"I did."

Before Jack could process the myriad of emotions on Ianto's face, Ianto had thrown himself across the small distance to grab Jack in a tight hug as he kissed him without mercy. Jack staggered back a step as he responded, his arms coming up to hold Ianto just as tightly. He was grateful for the bulk of the SUV at his back, effectively keeping him standing as his knees almost buckled at the joylusthappinessexcitement coming off Ianto in waves. Ianto pulled his lips free of Jack's just long enough to say a quick 'thank you' before locking on to him again. Jack's response (a moan) got lost somewhere around Ianto's teeth.

"Oi! Can't you do that where no one has to see it?" Owen demanded, slamming his car door shut to get their attention. They hadn't noticed him pull up, they were so wrapped up in each other. Ianto reluctantly stepped back from Jack, tugging on his sleeves to straighten them in a nervous gesture.

"He bought me a car!" Ianto exclaimed, pointing, unable to contain his excitement, even at having just been caught out kissing Jack in public by Owen. "Look at it!"

Owen reluctantly walked over to take a peek at the car. "Huh. Didn't think Jack had this kind of taste," he muttered. He looked over at Jack, who stood there with a smug expression on his face. "You did all right, Harkness. Now go off on your bloody date already before my teeth fall out from all this saccharine. And don't expect me to cover the Rift every time you two want a cuddle-fest," he continued, grumbling.

"It's not a date!" Jack and Ianto corrected in unison.

"It's just dinner," Ianto added.

"Well, now that that's cleared up, I'm going to go poke my eyes out and pretend I didn't see your tongues down each other's throats."

As soon as Owen disappeared into the tunnel to the Hub, Ianto turned back to Jack. "Thank you," he said, squeezing Jack's arm. "It's wonderful."

"You deserve nice things," Jack replied. He kissed Ianto tenderly. "I'm sorry I've been so off lately."

"It's ok. We all have off days sometimes."

"No, I've been more off than I should be, and it's not right. I wanted to make it up to you."

"Jack, how many times do I have to tell you that it's fine?" He shook Jack gently, a combination of exasperation and happiness. Jack just shook his head. They stood there for a few minutes smiling at each other.

"Come on, ashe," Jack said, holding up the keys to the Saab. "Want to take her for a spin before dinner?"