AN: Might have another chapter after this one. Not entirely sure. Anyway, thanks, and big hugs to everyone who has reviewed, alerted or added this story to their favourites. Xx
Ianto had become distant.
He was a shell of the confident, young man Jack knew.
They had taken an extra month off work to help them get settled, and in the two weeks they had so far been absent, Ianto had barely talked, and at nights he would sleep on the sofa. He could barely look at his daughter, and every time he did the memories of what had happened would come flooding back, swamping his mind, and tearing him apart.
Jack hated seeing him like this. This wasn't the Ianto he had fallen in love with. He spent most nights watching over Cerys, falling asleep in the rocking chair, adjacent from her cot, unable to bear sleeping in their bed alone. He was afraid. Afraid that the old Ianto would never come back. He would be stuck as a mere shadow of his former self. So he decided to try and help the younger man.
Jack was woken at an ungodly hour of the night, by screams emitting from the white wooden crib where Cerys lay. He violently rubbed at his eyes, stifled a yawn, and rose from the chair, leaning over the crib, and taking the tiny baby in his arms. He rocked back and forward, whispering nonsense to the infant, until she was eventually lulled back to sleep.
He placed her gently back into the cot, wrapping her in soft blankets and placing a tender kiss to her forehead. He picked up the baby monitor, and headed for the living room, pushing the door open by just a crack, uncertain as to whether Ianto would still be awake. He never knew how to act around the younger man anymore.
He was awake. He was staring at the ceiling in a trance like state, and for a moment he didn't even realise Jack was there. When he did see the dark figure standing amidst the pale light of the hallway lamp, he was shocked from his reverie, as Jack cleared his throat, and waited by the door, as if asking permission to enter. Ianto smiled at him. A ghost a smile, the apprehension, anxiety and guilt, all too evident in that small smile. Jack found himself feeling hopeless. He was supposed to rid Ianto of such emotions.
He took cautious steps towards the sofa, where Ianto lay beneath a mass of duvet, and sat down at Ianto's feet, the Welshman immediately curled back into himself, as if Jack would harm him if he came any nearer.
"Ianto…please."
Ianto didn't respond his face remaining blank, not sure what Jack was pleading for. Jack was sick of this. How could Lisa do this to such an amazing man? She turned their world upside down, and left it hanging in the balance.
He leant forward and pressed his lips against the Welshman's. Ianto didn't react, as if so long without proper human contact had left him with no understanding of how to touch, how to kiss. After a few moments, however, he slowly opened his mouth, allowing Jack's tongue to slip inside, the older man's hands sliding round to his lower back, and he placed his hands either side of Jack's neck. He savoured the kiss for a moment, re-acquainting himself with the intoxicating taste that was Jack.
Unfortunately, no kiss could last forever, not even if both men wanted nothing more in the world, and they pulled apart, foreheads still touching, Ianto gently rubbing his nose against Jack's.
The American's lips brushed against Ianto's as he spoke. "I missed you."
"I haven't been anywhere."
"You haven't been here, either."
Jack kissed his lover again, revelling in the feel of lips against lips, tongue sliding against tongue, hands roaming. He pulled back, standing from the sofa, and extended his hand to the other man.
Ianto wearily took the offered hand, knowing what was inevitably coming next, not quite sure if he was ready yet, but certain that Jack would only ever do what he was comfortable with.
Jack led him along the hallway, pushing open the bedroom door, a slight creak escaping from the hinges, and pulled Ianto inside, dropping the other man's hand, and walking to the bed. He stood at the foot of the bed, the edges of the mattress applying gentle pressure to the back of his knees as he awaited Ianto, patiently.
The younger man stood at the door, drinking in the atmosphere of the room. It seemed darker and colder than usual, the life drained out of the walls, and he couldn't help but blame himself. He had gotten used to it in the past weeks.
Jack carefully observed Ianto, as he stood, seemingly engrossed in some sort of inner conflict, but when he looked at the ground he saw a pair of bare feet padding across the thick carpet, landing straight in front of him, and as he looked up, he was met with a pair of dazzling eyes, glistening with unshed tears.
Ianto took Jack's right hand in his, tenderly running his thumb over the multiple veins and ridges on the skin, and as he spoke his eyes never left the other man's.
"I'm sorry. I've neglected you."
"It's time to get you back."
Jack pulled Ianto against him, toppling onto the mattress beneath him and bringing Ianto with him. He attached his mouth to the other he had grown so fond of, and his hands slipped under the white cotton of Ianto's undershirt, as a pair of cold, supple hands ran along his arms, drenching his skin in loving touches.
Jack broke the kiss to pull Ianto's t-shirt over his head, and Ianto did the same for Jack.
"Are you ok with this?"
"Yes, Jack. I need it as much as you."
With no further communication necessary, Jack's hand slid under the waist band of Ianto's boxers, greeted by a very eager erection, and smiled against the young man's lips. Ianto returned the smile, and pulled Jack's boxers off, the older man lifting his hips of the mattress, and Ianto slid down his body and threw Jack's boxers onto the floor.
As Ianto was kneeling above him, Jack retuned the favour, removing the last of the fabric barriers, and smiled up at Ianto, a hand reaching up to caress his cheek. Ianto licked his way up the body he adored, and would happily worship for the rest of his life, paying special attention Jack's nipples, licking, kissing and biting as they hardened in his mouth. He licked along his shoulder blade, placing a small kiss in the hollow that rested between the bone and his neck, leaving a trail of hot, hungry kisses on the warm flesh of his partner's neck, before finally reaching his lips, showering them with even more attention.
Jack loved that he could see a glimpse of the old, confident Ianto appearing. The Ianto who was amazing in every way, and would do anything for his lover. For his family.
Jack rolled them, the sensation of hot sweaty skin rubbing together, creating the most delightful torturous friction, enough to create groans and moans from both men.
Deciding there really was no more time for teasing, or taking things slowly, he reached over the bedside table, pulling open a drawer and locating lube and a condom. He waited for Ianto's one last nod, and smiled down at the younger man, his eyes barely leaving the gorgeous face as he sheathed himself in the latex, and coated his rock hard erection in the cool substance. He squeezed some more of the lube onto his fingers, before rubbing it in, and lifting Ianto's hips into his lap, the younger man's legs instinctively wrapping round his waist. He pushed one finger gently into Ianto's tight entrance, the legs round his waist tightening their grip as the sensations he had denied his body for so long shot through his spine.
Jack pushed a second and third finger inside Ianto, making sure he was properly prepared, before extracting his fingers, and replacing them with what Ianto had been craving ever since he saw Jack in the living room doorway. The legs round Jack's waist tightened further, producing an almost vice like grip, on the verge of painful.
Jack placed a soothing hand on Ianto's forehead, kissing him, and whispering calming words to him. He eventually relaxed, and began bucking his hips against Jack's. Jack took this as his cue to move, and so placing one hand on Ianto's thigh, and entwining the other with the other's man's long fingers, a gesture they had adopted and grown accustomed to during such occasions, he began rocking back and forward. The room was filled with the sounds of moans and gasps, the slap of skin against skin as the movement's increased in speed, both bodies coated in a thin sheen of sweat. Jack leant forward, capturing Ianto's lips in a searing kiss, which told of such want, need, love, and so many other emotions enclosed in their lips as they met.
Before long, Jack's frantic movement's and loving caresses sent Ianto over the edge, coming with a muffled scream as his head lay nested against Jack's shoulder. The shuddering and tightening that surrounded Jack as his lover slipped into bliss was the last push he needed to send him tumbling into paradise, screaming out Ianto's name, and landing on top of him.
Fifteen minutes later both men lay entangled in each other's arms, the room filled with the life it had been lacking for the past fortnight, as they lay exhausted, happy in the knowledge things may finally get back to normal.
However, the peace didn't last for long as they were interrupted by the cries of Cerys, coming from her bedroom and carrying all the way down the hallway, and entering their room. Jack disentangled himself from Ianto, kissing him one last time, before slipping on his boxers, and leaving the room, promising to return soon. Ianto could here the creak of Cerys' door opening, and the soothing sound of Jack singing quiet lullabies to his daughter. He felt guilty, having spent barely any time with his daughter since the whole 'Lisa Incident' as he had taken to calling the chaos of the events two weeks ago.
He slipped out of bed, finding his boxers and t-shirt, and approached Cerys' room, standing in the doorframe, looking on the scene as if he was watching it on the television. The only difference was the overwhelming rush of emotion he found himself experiencing as he finally took the final steps into the room, standing behind Jack and gazing down at his daughter, a smile firmly planted on his face.
She smiled up at him, her eyes just as Ianto had expected them, as she lay comfortable in Jack's arms.
"Do you want to hold her?"
Ianto simply nodded, carefully taking the baby into his arms, kissing her on the forehead, amazed at how beautiful the tiny person in his arms was. Jack kissed him, and stood behind him, his body pressed against Ianto's back, and he whispered in the younger man's ear, "I could easily get used to this."
Ianto smiled, "I think I already am."