A/N: Thanks to everyone who alerted, favorited, and reviewed!
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Torchwood. This is unbeta'd so any and all mistakes are mine.
Ianto opened up the door with one hand, the other holding the orange cat firmly to his chest. The cat was nosing his neck gently, purring and mewling loudly in his ear. He chuckled softly, finally fitting the key in the lock and pushing the door open.
"Yes, you sound hungry, yes I know," Ianto said softly, a small smile on his face. Ianto, despite being excruciatingly tired, had trekked to the grocery store, hiding the small orange cat in his jacket as he quickly picked up litter, a litter box, and some generic cat food. He smiled as he set the cat down with his jacket, allowing it to cautiously peek its head out, before brushing off the jacket and padding into the living room.
Ianto smiled and headed to the kitchen, pulling a plastic container out of his cupboard and filling it with water, before pulling out another and filling it with the generic cat food. The cat, hearing the tinkle of food, scurried into the kitchen, his orange tail sticking straight up in the air. Ianto chuckled and turn, deciding to whip up a quick snack before he headed off to bed. When he discovered how bare his cabinets were, he settled for making a sandwich.
He fixed himself the makeshift breakfast and leaned against the fridge as he began to eat, his fingers drumming on the counter. It was at that point that he noticed the cat had yet to touch his food and seemed to be scowling up at him. Ianto arched an eyebrow at him.
"It's really that bad, huh?" he asked, before opening his sandwich and pulling out a piece of the meat. He put the slice down on the ground and the orange tom shivered with excitement, immediately pouncing on the turkey. Ianto laughed fondly, eating the last bite of the sandwich.
"I'll keep that in mind for next time then. You're a picky eater for a stray," he commented, heading for his bedroom. He shed his dress shirt and belt by the time he got there, too tired to think about the mess he was making. He slipped out of his trousers and socks and crawled into bed with just his pants on. He sighed, loving the feeling of the cool sheets caressing his body.
He was almost asleep when he heard a small squeak of a door opening. Before he could react, a purring lump of orange jumped up on the bed and padded towards him. The tom kneaded the blankets on Ianto's chest for a moment, before curling up in the juncture of Ianto's neck and shoulder, his muzzle directly by Ianto's ear. The Welshman smiled and stroked the cat's back gently, finding the action soothing.
He drifted to sleep easily with the warmth of the cat on his neck and chest.
The next morning, Ianto was awoken by a soft, pathetic mewl. He cracked his eyes open and stared at the orange tom, who was pressing his cold, wet nose against his neck. Ianto pushed the tom away and glanced towards the clock on his bed table. He squinted at the red numbers for a few moments, before he stretched and yawned, dislodging the cat once again. The cat mewled at him again, this time more offended than anything else.
Ianto threw his legs over the side of the bed and ran a hand through his hair, stifling another yawn. "Don't look at me like that, you were the one laying on me," he said, standing and shivering as his bare feet hit the cold floor.
"I should pop into work for a few hours, maybe cross reference some of the identified objects in the archives with the orb we found yesterday," he said to absolutely no one. To his surprise, however, the cat seemed to be watching him intently, not even his tail twitching.
"You sure are intense…umm... huh, you don't have a name do you?" Ianto said, once more, to an empty room. Well… not a completely empty room. He pet the cat's head gently, before saying. "Tangerine. How about that? I'm not usually one for naming animals after foods, but it fits. What do you think, Tangerine?" Ianto asked the tom, before pulling back and pausing. Was he really trying to have a conversation with this cat? Was he honestly trying to get the cat to respond, or was he just talking to himself. He shook his head, blaming it on lack of sleep.
"This job is getting to me, asking cat's questions," Ianto grumbled as he padded over to the bathroom, Tangerine hot on his tail. The orange tom slipped in right as he was shutting the door, and Ianto arched an eyebrow at the feline. The cat looked back up at him with his green eyes. Ianto rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Fine. Whatever, it's not like you're secretly some lecherous old man," Ianto said, kicking off his boxers. 'Unlike some people I know,' he thought to himself, feeling a little pang shoot through his heart. He pushed it aside as he yawned again, rubbing his eyes. He turned on the water to the shower and waited patiently for the water to heat up.
Tangerine hopped up on the counter and padded to edge, sticking his face out for Ianto to touch. He barely suppressed a small chuckle of fond amusement.
"You're something else, you are. What are you going to do when I go to work every day?" he asked, rubbing behind the tom's ears. The cat seemed to ignore his words and mewl with dejection when Ianto pulled his long fingers away.
"You hush. You haven't been here a whole day and I'm already starting to spoil you," Ianto scolded as he stepped into the hot, steamy spray. He gave a little please groan as the water soothed some of the kinks in his back and shoulders that he had managed to create hauling the containment boxes around.
Tangerine was still waiting patiently on the counter when Ianto shut off the water and wrapped a towel around himself. The tom followed him into the next room, and once again sat and watched Ianto dress, waiting for him to finish. Ianto looked at the orange cat in the mirror as he finished knotting his tie.
"You're a piece of work, aren't you? I bet you're just hungry," Ianto said as he tickled under the cat's chin. "Well, come on then, I'll find something for you since you turned your nose up to the perfectly good cat food I gave you," he said with a put-upon sigh as he exited the room and walked to the kitchen.
He popped some toast in the toaster for himself, before taking another slice of meat out of the fridge and placing it on the pile of cat food still in the plastic container. The tom immediately darted towards the food and began tearing apart the meat. Ianto arched an eyebrow as he fixed up his toast and stuck the corner in his mouth.
"I'll be back soon. I really hope that doesn't make you sick…," Ianto bit his lip in a worried way, before he sighed. He really should check these things so he didn't end up killing this innocent animal. "Well, I guess we'll find out, eh?" he said weakly, before he walked towards the front door.
"Try not to get into anything, will you?" Ianto called behind him, before he stepped out and shut the door behind him.
Tangerine lifted his face from his bowl and flicked his ears as the door slammed shut. He looked around the kitchen before perking up when he spotted a window with the blinds drawn. He hopped onto the kitchen counter and sat himself by the glass, waiting to see if his friends would find him.
Ianto entered the dark Hub quite nervously. He flipped on the main lights, squinting as the brightness hurt his eyes. He figured nobody would be in today after Jack ordered them to take the day off; only he would dare to come back. If Ianto were to be honest, he was hoping to corner Jack and get some answers. The issue with the glowing orb came second in his mind, as terrible as that sounded. He knew he shouldn't let his personal life get in the way of his work, but it was difficult to separate the two when he was shagging the boss.
Yes, shagging. That's probably what he should call it. Ianto trudged up to the kitchen, glancing at Jack's office as he went. He frowned slightly when he saw the little lamp in his office was off. Ianto wondered if he was asleep, but dismissed that idea immediately as he started up the coffee machine. Jack would never sleep this late, if he slept at all. Not that Ianto knew the ins and outs of his... partner's? Lover's?... sleep schedule.
Ianto pulled Jack's mug down along with his own, planning to make him a cup just in case he came back soon. He guessed Jack was most likely out responding to a Rift alert. At least…he hoped he was…
Pushing the unsettling thought away from him, Ianto focused on the steps to making his wonderful coffee. He was mildly soothed by this, and chose to think about what he would pick up from Tesco today instead of the issue with Jack. He really should find out what is acceptable for cat's to eat instead of playing this quite unhealthy game with his new pet.
He finished both mugs far too quickly for his taste; he knew he could make coffee all day if he could. He picked up both cups and headed straight up to Jack's office. Despite knowing that Jack wasn't there, Ianto knocked lightly out of habit, before stepping inside.
He looked around the office briefly, before placing the coffee cup down on the edge of the table. Ianto remembered wistfully their early morning talks, the ones were Ianto would prop his hip up on the edge of the desk and put up with Jack's wandering hands as they talked aimlessly about anything. Anything but their work. It was a time for just them, a time to forget about the hell they sometimes went through. He missed it so very much.
Ianto shook his head sharply and rolled his eyes at himself; it was not like him to be so sappy and nostalgic. He turned on his heel and quickly left the room, ignoring stubbornly the ache in his heart as he began his descent into the archives.
"Bright white orb, about the size of a head, found inside a ship…"
Jack swept into the Hub, the blaring of the sirens drowning out the clomp of his boots on the metal floors. He looked around curiously at the now turned on lights. Someone must've come in in the time it took him to take care of those weevils. He felt his heart sink. He had a fairly good idea who that would be.
He headed up to his office and frowned when his suspicions were confirmed. He walked around the side of the desk and plopped down in his chair, picking up the mug setting next to a pile of paperwork that was (probably) never going to be done. The liquid gold was lukewarm by now, signaling to Jack that Ianto hadn't been here long. Knowing the Welshman wasn't one to leave after working only a half hour of overtime, he turned to the monitors and flicked on the CCTV to the archives.
It took him no time to find Ianto, who was pacing back and forth between two cabinets seemingly deep in thought as he stared at the two papers in his hands. Jack smiled at the look of concentration painting his features; the man was too cute for his own good. He continued to watch the man pace, before he sat down and began marking something on one of the documents. It had been a while since he had simply observed Ianto instead of shagging his brains out and leaving.
Jack suddenly wiped the sappy grin of his face and turned off the monitor. He rubbed his face with both hands and rested his elbows on the table. He needed to stop thinking about him. He had made a decision and now he needed to stick by it. It was still hard despite knowing that.
He had never promised Ianto monogamy, and Ianto in turn didn't expect it, but he couldn't help but think of Ianto when he had dared to try it with someone else. The entire time he had been having this… thing with Ianto, he hadn't been with anyone else. He hadn't even tried to shag anyone else until last night… and what a mistake it had been.
He couldn't go through with it. Him, Jack Harkness, intergalactic playboy, couldn't show someone a good time because a certain Welshman was on his mind the entire time. Jack knew the bloke he was going to bed didn't deserve anything less than his undivided attentions for one night, and Ianto, who was a 21st century man with 21st century morals, didn't deserve infidelity before Jack had even cut things off formally with him.
So, he had fled, plain and simple.
He knew things couldn't go on like this. He was destroying them both; he could sense the hurt radiating from Ianto every time he asked him to leave or ignored him. Jack tightened his grip on his hair. This man was driving him up the wall and weakening his resolve. He pushed the matter to the side and sighed.
He didn't have to focus on this now; one more day wouldn't hurt.
When three hours had passed, Ianto decided to go up and potentially go home. Potentially being the operative word. He wanted to speak to Jack, see if he could fix something, if there was anything to fix. Ianto believed it may just be him; he always figured he wouldn't be exciting enough for Jack, who had seen and done so many things.
Ianto stubbornly ignored that voice in his head and headed up to the main floor with his empty coffee cup. He went to the kitchen and put his mug in the sink, before turning and heading out and up towards Jack's office. His heart thudded loudly when he noticed the man was indeed now there, working on some of the paperwork on his desk.
He stopped in front of the door and took a deep, steadying breath. He clenched his hands into fists and swallowed hard, before a blank mask fell over his face, and he knocked gently. He didn't wait for a reply before he opened up the door and peeked his head inside.
His heart sank a little when Jack didn't look up at all. He didn't even flinch when Ianto walked over and stood in front of his desk. He cleared his throat a little, waiting for Jack to look up. Jack continued to scribble on whatever he was looking at for moment before he looked up. Ianto winced at the bland, uninterested look in his eyes.
"Can I help you, Ianto?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice and expression calm. He saw something akin to despair flash behind the Welshman's eyes and the confidence subtly drained from his body. The man's face remained impassive though.
"I was just about to head home, sir. Do you need anything before I go?" Ianto asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice as he stood ever so politely in front of Jack. The other man stared at Ianto for a moment, before he shook his head.
"Nope, I don't need anything from you. You weren't even supposed to come in today," Jack said, disapproval lightly touching his words. Ianto grew a little uncomfortable at his tone.
"I just wanted to see how the investigation of the orb was going, is all sir. I looked through some files in the archives, but nothing matched the device word for word," Ianto said, easily leaning back on work to save himself. That wasn't the point though. He wanted to let Jack know he was still there, that he was still fighting and waiting for the immortal to come around. He shuffled slightly, before he completely bollocked everything up by saying, "I also wanted to see you. Perhaps we could talk?"
Jack's eyes darted to Ianto's quickly, watching as the man stared back. Jack said nothing, and Ianto began to regret ever coming in today. As the silence lengthened, he shifted restlessly.
Jack watched the younger man closely, the stiff shoulders the only indicator Ianto was fighting to remain professional. Jack slowly sat back in his seat, about to take pity on him, when the Rift alarm suddenly blared. Jack was up on his feet in a flash, saved, almost literally, by the bell.
"Well! Duty calls, Ianto! You know how it is. Maybe we can talk later," the captain said as he slipped on his coat by himself. That in itself stung a little, but Ianto ignored it and began to follow him out of his office.
"Do you need help? I could go with you," Ianto offered, having to speed up his pace a little as Jack walked faster. The man looked over his shoulder and flashed his big trademark smile.
"No need. Should be simple enough. The weevils have chosen today of all days to get rowdy, but I promised to let you all sleep, you just haven't taken advantage of the opportunity," Jack said breezily, checking his gun as he began down to the garage. Ianto frowned.
"What if you die again?" he asked, his brows furrowed. Jack actually paused at that, turning around to face him. He almost looked confused for a moment, before he shook his head. The expression cleared and was quickly replaced by slight irritation.
"I'll get right back up. Don't worry, I'll be back in a flash. And I want you out of here before I get back. Don't you have a new cat to take care of?" he asked, and that was it. Jack's tone was light, but Ianto still heard the dangerous undertone that meant the man was serious. Ianto chose not to question his captain further, and remained still and quiet as Jack disappeared through the doors of the underground garage with a flick of his coat tail. His heart sank slightly. That was not how this was supposed to go.
Tangerine looked up as the key clicking the lock echoed through the house. Ianto pushed open the door gently, his face a mask of confusion and slight hurt. He began to loosen his tie as he stepped in the house, kicking the door shut behind him. He sat down on the couch as he pulled his tie off and draped it over the arm of the couch. He sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face as he leaned back.
The cat mewled at him as he padded over to where the Welshman was sitting on his couch. He jumped up onto his lap and sat there, staring expectantly at Ianto. The man scratched under the tom's chin, face staring at the ceiling.
"I really think I mucked things up today Tangerine… and I forgot to go to Tesco's," Ianto sighed, looking back at the cat. The tom mewled at him, and Ianto sighed softly. He suddenly wondered why he was even bothering with Jack anymore. It was obvious the man was no longer interested, and probably never had been before. He frowned. The orange cat stared at him with his pretty green eyes, and suddenly, Ianto felt himself begin to tell the small animal everything. He didn't know why he was suddenly telling this cat everything, but it felt right, and he believed he might just need to get it off his chest.
The tom seemed to listen intently, and didn't once try and leave Ianto's lap. He stayed when Ianto grew angry, and he stayed when he grew sad. He stayed when Ianto suddenly stared to cry with frustration, and he stayed when the man cursed himself for his stupidity. Tangerine was determined to stay with this man who had taken him in for as long as he needed comfort. The man didn't seem like a bad guy, and he felt bad for him.
Yes, perhaps Ianto was going crazy, but it helped. It really helped. Tangerine had stayed glued to him the whole time he ranted and raved, and it made Ianto feel better. Much, much better. So much better, that Ianto was able to peel himself off the couch after spilling to his new cat and head back out to Tesco's.
As Ianto loaded his cart full of all sorts of different foods to have his cat try, he couldn't help but wonder how much this small animal was going to change his life.
A/N: I'd love to hear how you felt about this chapter as well! Thanks for reading!