11
Jack's closed eyes and pale face said more to Ianto than the doctor's explanation of Jack's condition.
There was none of the vitality Ianto had come to rely on, none of the strength. He looked exhausted, vulnerable, broken.
Ianto sat down on the chair beside Jack, wanting to reach out and touch him, but scared of waking him. The doctor had warned him that Jack needed rest; that the drugs pumped into him had taken their toll.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, though he knew there was nothing he could have done to stop what had happened to Jack. "They told me you were found with a needle in your arm, and because of that the guys who kidnapped us are now wanted for attempted murder. They must have known you were an undercover detective. That's what everyone is thinking anyway. The only problem is no one knows how that plays into things. They're working on it, so don't worry about it right now. Just work on getting better. Please. I won't let on that they can never find them. That it's aliens, not people that did this to us. I know what Torchwood is …. God Jack, we never talked about our jobs. We're both Torchwood. I'm T1 ya Twypsn. Home on compassionate leave as me aunty died. I live in London, I work for the same bloody meatgrinder."
A small sound behind Ianto had him turning around.
Owen stood at the door, looking as if he wasn't sure he should interrupt.
"Have you found out anything?" Ianto asked, keeping his tone light.
"Torchwood one, eh? Should have known, you were too bloody calm for someone who resisted the retcon" Owen waved a folder in his hands. "The toxicology report came back."
"Immune to it" Ianto absently rubbed the spot on his arm where they'd taken his blood. "And?"
"It was similar to a date drug. Your levels were low, but Captain Harkness' were way off the charts."
"Is that what he was overdosed with?"
"That and…other stuff."
"Is he going to be all right?" Ianto stared at Jack's pale face again, desperately wanting reassurance.
Owen came in and stood next to him. "The tests tell me there shouldn't be any lasting effects."
It was what Ianto wanted to hear, but he still wasn't happy. "How did they drug us? No one bought me a drink at the bar, and Jack told me he'd only had bottled water before he was snatched. And don't forget neither of us had access to anything prior to me being released."
"Detective Davison is still investigating that, but it seems there was some sort of gas bottle at the abandoned warehouse."
"Where we were held?"
Owen nodded. "They found a trapdoor at the top of a storeroom with a block and tackle type rigging. Looks like you and Harkness were lowered inside."
That bit of news wasn't surprising.
He and Jack had figured that out once it was obvious there was no other way in. It had also explained their sore shoulders.
Ianto wondered about it as a small voice whispered 'spaceship' in the back of his mind and he cleared his throat.
"So they sprayed us with something to knock us out, let me go, but kept Jack. Why?"
"We don't know yet."
Ianto wasn't sure about that, there was something they weren't telling him, but he reckoned he wasn't going to be privy to an answer. No doubt when Jack woke he'd demand one. Until then, Ianto wasn't going to let Jack out of his sight.
Bloody Torchwood.
Ianto knew he had to watch himself until Jack as awake enough to protect him. A stronger version of Retcon could be in anything offered.
"He's not your responsibility, you know." Owen looked down at Jack, a frown creasing his brow, as if he didn't understand Ianto's need to be there.
"Yes he is. He made me his responsibility when we were stuck in that room, so now he's mine, but it's more than that. We got to know each other. We discussed our pasts, our futures. Our likes and dislikes. We even laughed, believe it or not. He was kind, and sincere, and he didn't make me feel awkward or embarrassed. In fact he gave me purpose, and that's to prove I'm worthy of his friendship."
"You are." The softy spoken words almost gave Ianto a heart attack. He swung round to see Jack looking at him, his blue eyes clear and focused. "But I thought we'd agreed to go beyond that."
As his heart rate settled, Ianto moved in to grasp Jack's hand. "Hey. How are you?"
"Fine now that I know you're safe. When I woke up and you weren't there…"
Jack took a deep breath, but then smiled. "Looks like you did better than me."
Not sure how much the doctors had told him, if anything, Ianto just nodded, not wanting to explain why just yet; all that could come later. "We'll both be out of here soon."
"And then we can go on that date."
Though he'd kind of expected it, Ianto was still delighted Jack had mentioned his proposal.
"Of course." He grinned, completely vindicated for trusting Jack, despite Owen's attempts to dissuade him.
"Good." Jack closed his eyes, and he seemed to sink deep into the pillow behind him. "That's good."
Holding onto Jack's hand, Ianto moved in a little closer.
"Rest," he said. "And when you wake up, I'll be here. I promise."
A twitch of Jack's mouth was all he could give in response, but it was enough. Ianto leaned in and ran his lips softly across Jack's knuckles, and then he laid his head on the bed, allowing himself the same rest he'd just ordered Jack to take. "I promise."
.
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.
.
Before he'd barely got the door open, Ianto grabbed Jack's arm and dragged him inside, and then before Jack had a chance to say anything, Ianto mashed their lips together, taking the kiss he'd been longing for all week.
Jack responded by opening up to him, allowing Ianto to delve deeper, and Ianto took full advantage, pushing Jack up against the wall while kicking the door closed.
He slowly took his fill, revelling the taste of Jack's mouth and the firm softness of his lips, and then when marginally satisfied, he pulled back.
"Mmm. I love how you say hello," Jack said, laughter filling his warm, dark eyes.
"I missed you." Looking up at him, Ianto tried not to let his unhappiness show.
He hated that Jack lived so far away. Seeing him only on weekends wasn't enough, and when Jack was here, all Ianto kept thinking about was when Jack had to leave.
It had been difficult enough at the beginning when they were still getting to know one another, but it had become increasingly harder the more Ianto allowed his emotions to grow.
"I miss you too, which is why there's something I want to talk to you about." Jack laced his hands behind Ianto's back, pulling him close. "I put in for a new archivist, and it was accepted."
"You did? When? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to get your hopes up, or mine. But now it's official. You start in a week, so that'll give you time to settle in Cardiff."
The gleam in Jack's eyes should have warned Ianto, but he was still digesting Jack's news about moving closer.
In the past six months he'd often thought about changing jobs so he could see more of Jack, but he hadn't been completely sure how Jack would take it. After everything they'd been through, after all the time they spent together, he knew Jack felt something for him, but he wasn't sure how deep it went.
"You…somewhere…with me?" Ianto heard his voice go up an octave, and he quickly tamped down his excitement and surprise. "I mean, of course, if you want to."
"I do want to, just as much as I know you want me to. Your hints haven't exactly been subtle." Jack grinned, his mouth wide, his eyes bright. "And I can't stand being away from you. It's killing me only seeing you two nights a week."
Ianto swallowed the hard lump in his throat, wondering if Jack realized how much those words meant to him. When Jack moved in for a soft kiss, he reckoned Jack knew exactly what they meant. He slid his arms around Jack's neck, intending to deepen the kiss, but Jack stopped him.
"One more thing before we christen that new king-sized bed you just got delivered and we will have to take with us." At once Jack's face grew somber. "The ship was exploded near Prime Devon, we got word back that Sol 3 won't be hassled again."
Not really wanting to discuss the creatures that had abducted and then almost killed Jack, Ianto merely nodded. He'd opted out of attending the final breifings, knowing he'd be unable to hide the anger still boiling within him.
"It's over," Jack said, pushing a loose strand of Ianto's hair away from his face. "So now we can forget about it."
"I'll never forget, or forgive them. There hadn't been any need to try and kill you."
"It doesn't matter. What matters is they didn't succeed."
"I know, but still, when they found out you were Torchwood they should have just let you go instead of trying to make sure you couldn't talk…those …." Ianto couldn't even say their name without shuddering.
"Babe, please don't worry about it anymore, okay? I'm alive, you're alive. I love you, and—"
Ianto snapped his gaze up to meet Jack's eyes. "Say that again."
Oh, he better had heard right, and Jack had better have meant what he said.
"You mean the 'I love you' part?"
"Yeah, that part."
Jack looked down at him, a little smugness flitting about the edges of his mouth.
"Only if you say it first."
