A/N – I was listening to John Barrowman songs on a walk and this scene just came into my head when "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan came on. I'm hoping I can do it justice in words.
Takes place after Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Angel
I came back for you.
When this is all over… dinner? A movie?
He's a reminder of my past and I want him gone.
The door to the hotel room clicked shut behind him. He felt the weight of his great coat being lifted off his shoulders and taken away.
This was not how he expected his return to be when he left the Doctor this afternoon. He came back… back to his team. The soldier returns triumphant to reclaim his leadership role. That's not what happened.
He glanced over to see Ianto hanging the coat in the wardrobe. The younger man was so much more confident and surer of himself than he had been when Jack left. He wanted to tell him how proud he was of everything he'd become. No words came.
Ianto retuned to his side and gently led him to the foot off the bed. Letting himself be guided to sit down, Jack watched Ianto kneel down and start removing the work boots. He watched the concentration as the laces were untied, then loosened before each boot was pulled off his feet and neatly placed on the floor.
His breath hitched when Ianto straightened up and pulled the braces from his shoulders. The straps slid down his arms, settling at his waist. Another weight lifted.
As Ianto began working on the buttons of his shirt, Jack studied his face. Ianto didn't look at him, just calmly and silently pulled each white button from its hole before moving to the next one. When he finished, he leaned forward to gently push the shirt off the older man's shoulders and down his arms. Pulling the sleeves free, he shook it lightly and placed it on the bed. He slowly pulled the white t-shirt up and over Jack's head, placing it with the dress shirt on the duvet cover.
Finally meeting the captain's gaze, he saw a single tear begin to slide down Jack's cheek. He softly wiped it away with his thumb.
Ianto broke the gaze and began to unbutton Jack's trousers. There was nothing sexual about the action, just tenderness. Jack lifted himself to allow Ianto to remove the slacks which were neatly placed with the shirts.
Ianto stood and moved to the head of the bed. He pulled down the duvet and sheets and guided Jack onto the pillow. He slowly ran his fingers through Jack's hair before pulling up the duvet.
Jack closed his eyes and listened to the silence of the room. He heard Ianto move to the end of the bed and picking up Jack's clothes, then the rattle of the hangars and each piece of clothing was hung up in the wardrobe with his coat. There was a soft thump of shoes landing on the carpet, then a rustling of cloth, before more clothes were added to the hangars.
A waft of cool air washed over his back as the duvet was lifted on the other side of the bed. He felt the mattress dip slightly before the warmth returned. Strong, warm arms wrapped around his chest and a steady heartbeat thumped against his back.
"Go to sleep, Jack. You're safe now. I've got you."
After so long, Jack finally relaxed and let himself fall into a dreamless sleep.
End
Deep breath… what did you think? In my mind, most of Jack's actions (maybe with the exception of the date invitation) in this episode were complete lies. I feel like at some point he would have broken down. Also, contrary to so many fics, I have always believed that Ianto was and extremely strong person.