Chapter 18

"Ianto can I ask you something?" Dexter asked calmly

"Yeah," Ianto muttered

"How often do you change, or use your abilities?" Dexter asked and Jack felt Ianto stiffen in his arms.

"Ianto?" Jack prompted

"I… um…" Ianto muttered knowing the answer was going to upset the man on the other end even more than he already had.

There was a bang followed by a lot of swearing on the other end and Jack looked confused between the phone and the man in his arms.

"How Often Ianto?" Dexter demanded voice tight

"Every now and again, maybe once a day but only for a very short time, like if I want to hear something." Ianto replied

"Damnit Ianto! You told me you were handling this. I told you, you had to change regulary. It's part of who you are you can't just ignore it!"

"I know,"

"I don't care if you know or not. You should be doing it. It's like holding your breathe Ianto. It never lasts forever, your body needs the air, just like you need to change, you can't keep holding it in, you'll just hurt yourself," Dexter sighed there was a sound in the background "hang on I'll be back in a minute," Dexter said and they could hear him put the phone down and walk away.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jack asked

"I was ashamed. I thought I could handle it. I was fine while I was with Arabella and Dexter, but since I've come back, I've been so worried the others would find out and hate me. Then things changed between us and I worried I'd do something to scare you off." Ianto explained quietly.

"Ianto, no, the others would understand once we explained it and you could never do anything to scare me off. I understand better than any other non-Pirask ever could, and I wouldn't let something like that change us." Jack whispered running his hand soothing over Ianto's back.

"I've been a right fool haven't I?" Ianto asked looking up at Jack

"Yes, but in a good way," Jack smiled, earning a smile in return, kissing Ianto gently.

"Ok," Dexter's voice drifted through the phone as he picked up again and the men pulled apart.

"I'm going to talk you through some relaxation to help you relax and let go of your abilities but you have to use them more. You can't hold them in or your body will continue to rebel. Just like if you don't have enough sleep you're likely to faint or fall asleep without choice, if you hold your breath your body forces you to breathe before you faint, you have to let this side of you be free enough or it's going to force its way out."

"I understand," Ianto sighed

"Ok make yourself comfortable, preferably laying down," Dexter instructed

"I am already, have been laying down since we started talking,"

"Alright where's Jack? Make sure he's not doing anything that might distract you while we're doing this,"

"He's alright, he'd being a good pillow,"

"Pillow? You mean he's been laying there mostly quiet the whole time we've been talking?"

"Don't sound so surprised Dex," Jack said sounding offended,

"Not surprised just amused at how well trained he'd got you," Dexter smirked

"Yeah yeah very funny," Jack muttered before settling down making sure they were both comfortable lying there on his bed.

Jack glanced down at Ianto who's head was still resting on is chest, Dexter soothing voice still drifting through the speaker.

However Ianto was no longer listening Jack realised as he noticed that the younger man had drifted off to sleep on his chest.

"Thanks Dex," Jack whispered careful not to wake Ianto.

"Wha…"

"He's fallen asleep, seems I'm a better pillow than I thought." Jack replied running his fingers gently through the smooth hair under his chin. "Is he going to be ok?"

"Yes he should be back in control by the time you get up in the morning." Dexter replied

"Thank you Dex,"

"He means a lot to you doesn't he Jack?" Dexter asked voice a notch quieter than before

"Yeah, he means the world to me" Jack sighed

"Are you going to use the Christmas present I gave you?" Dexter asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know yet, I haven't even told him what it does let alone ask him if he'd use it with me," Jack replied resting his head back onto the pillow he'd propped behind himself earlier.

"Go to sleep Jack and call me in the morning to let me know that he's actually ok?"

"Sure thing Dex, night,"

"Goodnight Jack," Dexter replied and Jack reached over and hung up the phone before Dexter did so there was no dial tone to wake Ianto up.

Gently slipping out from under Ianto he positioned his sleeping lover more comfortably before settling down to sleep behind him.

He was surprised however to find the Welshman roll over in his arms a second later, silver eyes looking at him curiously and awake enough that Jack realised it wasn't a recent development.

"How long have you been awake?" Jack asked

"I woke up about the time Dexter asked how much I meant to you," Ianto replied shifting his head so he could press a gentle kiss to Ianto's lips.

"And you decided to fake sleeping because?" Jack asked elbrow raised

"I wanted... needed to hear the answer, because I know you could never lie to Dexter, he's one of your oldest and most trusted friends, he knows everything about you."

"You could have just asked..." Jack said chuckling at the 'yeah right' look Ianto gave him in reply "Or not,"

"Are you going to tell me what that device that you got for Christmas does?" Ianto asked wiggling closer into Jack's embrace tucking himself under the older man's chin.

He figured if Jack was nervous about saying something to him it might be easier without him giving him expectant looks.

"I explained to you a long time ago that Dexter and Arabella were mates right?" Jack asked and Ianto nodded knowing Jack would be able to feel the movement

"Well Pirask Mates form a telepathic bond, that lets them sense each other, share emotions and if it's strong enough, with practice comunicate telepathically." Jack continued

"Yeah, Dexter explained it to me once, but what does that have to do with your present?" Ianto asked confused.

"I'm not Pirask... but Pirask and non Pirask... normally ones with long lifespans to save them heartache, can form a Mate bound with the aid of a piece of Technology that was developed about 600 years ago and become Mates in the same sense as two Pirask can."

Ianto froze in shock as what Jack had explained to him, even if it was a little quickly due to Jack's nervousness, registered in his mind.

"Say something," Jack urged quietly his hand rubbing Ianto's back trying to sooth the now tense muscles.

"I... Are you?...Do you..." Ianto stammered not quite sure himself what he was trying to ask as hope began to swell in his heart at the possibilities.

"I wasn't, I was just explaining..." Jack began and Ianto's hear sank clenching his eyes shut to fight back the tears God you are so stupid, what the hell were you getting your hopes up for he mentally chastised himself.

"But I am now," Jack continued and Ianto head snapped up in surprise, almost cracking Jack in the chin in the process, he locked eyes with Jack.

"What?" he blurted out,

Jack smiled at Ianto and wiped away the one tear that had escaped to slip down Ianto's cheek.

"I'm asking now. I don't expect an answer from you right away, but just think about it. Talk to Ari and Dex more about the whole Mate concept if you need to and when you're ready tell me your answer." Jack replied

Ianto didn't say anything, he just could find the words to tell Jack what he wanted to.

So in one quick movement he had Jack pinned on his back, straddling his waist kissing him fiercly .

Feeling Jack smile into their kiss he knew he'd gotten the message, now all he had to do was make a decision that would change both their lives.

The next few weeks seemed to fly by in a chaotic rush.

Jack and Ianto continued their relationship like normal, not talking about Jack's 'proposal' as he gave Ianto all the time he needed to think about in and decide.

Not that Ianto had a lot of time to think, with the rift being annoyingly active and the team being one member down with Owen had time off to recover the others were run flat out trying to take up the slack.

Jack and Ianto continued to spend the evenings and spare time together like normal. Either spending a quite night in at the hub or sometimes grabbing dinner with Tosh, Taffy or Dexter who had made trip to Cardiff to make sure Ianto was really ok.

After that night Ianto had become even more accepting of who he was and with more encouragement from Jack found himself using his abilities more and more, though never in front of the others.

He and Jack had actually set up a computer system in his PDA and Jack's Wrist strap to alert them on any weevil sighting before the alert was sent to the hub's mainframe.

That way if there was a possibility for Ianto to slip out and deal with the Weevil with Jack or on his own he could do so without alerting the team, allowing his to use his abilities to their fullest in the hunt.

Jack had also taken to disappearing to the lower levels on the hub in their few quiet moments between rift activity during the day.

There had been a few deliveries to Cpt. J Harkness, Private and Confidential, meaning no one opened them but Jack and he never did it in front of the others.

When Ianto and the girls all asked him what he was up to or what the parcels were he simply dodged the questions and gave them more work to do.

Ianto knew he was up to something, but he wasn't going to keep asking about it, because he knew Jack would tell him about it when he was ready.

One evening Gwen had gone home to Rhys leaving Tosh and Jack in the hub alone and Ianto who had been in the Tourist office all afternoon trying to catch up on his work.

Assuming Tosh had gone home at her normal time and knowing it was getting late and both he and Jack would be getting hungry soon, Ianto quickly put his latest plan into action.

Twenty minutes later he stood there waiting for the hub door to roll open and let him into the main area of the hub a bag in each hand.

One bag containing dinner from their favourite Chinese place and the other a couple of bottles of their favourite wine.

The door rolled open and the sound of Glen Miller drifted through signalling that Jack had finished working for the day and was now relaxing.

Looking up he was met with the sight of Jack standing nearby staring at his hand in a jar with a thoughtful look on his face. What was it with that thing anyway?

Jack turned to him with a warm smile, "All finished?"

"Yes and I have dinner and drinks. Figured you'd be getting hungry by now?" Ianto replied stepping over to the other man.

"You know me well, but how do you know what I'm hungry for? I could be after something a little more robust than… is that Chinese I smell?" Jack asked and Ianto nodded in reply.

"… maybe I could be hungry for something a little more Welsh, There wouldn't happen to be something like that on the menu now would there?" Jack asked pulling Ianto into his arms careful not to knock the bags in the process.

"I don't know Sir, I went to all this trouble to get you Chinese you may have to wait until desert," Ianto replied as Jack began to trail kisses up his neck finally meeting his lips in a deep kiss.

A giggle from above broke them out of their little moment.

Ianto froze and pulled back from Jack's embrace eyes flying up to meet Tosh's amused gaze where she sat at her workstation.

"You two are so cute together. You shouldn't hide it from everyone," She smiled

It was one thing for his best friend to know about his relationship with their boss but it was a completely different thing to have her see it.

They'd kept it a secret from the others for so long it was just awkward for him, not that Jack seemed even the slightest bit fazed.

"Tosh? I thought you'd gone home," Ianto replied looking both embarrassed and guilty.

Tosh reading the expressions in his eye clearly just chuckled. "It's Ok Ianto, I can fetch myself dinner on the way home. I'll just finish up here and leave you to it."

Jack saw the guilt in Ianto's eyes and the loneliness in Tosh's and made a decision turning to Tosh.

"Don't be silly Toshiko, the woman from the Chinese place thinks Ianto's too skinny so she always give us more than we can eat." He said taking Ianto's hand and leading him up the stair to the main area where Tosh was.

"Oh no, I couldn't interrupt, not if you have something planned," Tosh replied beginning to save her work in order to pack up and go home.

"Nonsense, nothing's planned. If I knew you were here I would have gotten you dinner as well," Ianto replied placing the bags on the coffee table.

"Are you sure?" Tosh asked

"Yes, now come here," Jack said pulling her out of her chair and into his arms.

As Jack danced with Tosh, her giggling happily in his arms and he spun and dipped her in time with the music.

Jack looked over her shoulder to meet Ianto's gaze from where he watched them nearby with a happy smile.

'Thank you,' Ianto mouthed to Jack and he winked back with a gentle smile over her shoulder where she couldn't see their little exchange.

Ianto wandered off to get plates and glasses for them from the kitchen listening to Tosh's giggles and Jack's chuckles as he went.

He ran the past few weeks events through his mind, he and Jack were so close now even if the others didn't know they were at a point in their relationship and Ianto knew it was time to move forward.

Walking back to the main area he had barely put the plates on the table when Jack pulled him into his arms to dance with him while Tosh served up the food.

Looking into Jack's eye as he danced, he knew, he had his answer.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow he would wear the suit Arabella had given him for Christmas, tomorrow he would tell Jack he loved him, tomorrow he would give Jack his answer.

Little did he know that tomorrow everything would turn to hell.