It's always the little things, a smile, a brief touch in passing, a naughty comment. Everyone thought it was only the flirty side of Jack. That there wasn't more to Jack than flirting, the occasional snog and of course sex. All meaningless. But Ianto knew better. He knew the emotional side of Jack, he knew the vulnerable side.
Jack hid behind his outrageous demeanour. He had lived for so long, he had been dissappointed and betrayed more times than he could count. So over the time he had built a wall, a strong wall. Nobody managed to get through it. No one got close and subsequently no one could hurt him.
That had been until the day Ianto showed up. That young, handsome man, so desperate to get back into Torchwood. Jack admired his determination, although he was reluctant to give in. That boy had the chance to get away from all of the horrors that Torchwood represents. He had been at Canary Wharf, he had seen his colleagues being converted into Cybermen, he had watched his friends die, and still Ianto wanted to come back to all of this. Jack had to admit, things weren't all bad at Torchwood. It was fun, the danger, the new gadgets, the new life, new aliens. Every day offered something new to explore. Jack could understand why someone wouldn't want to miss that rush.
And to be perfectly honest, Ianto's exceptionally good looks had helped to crumble Jack's reluctance. Jack had devoured the pure joy and excitement that poured out of Ianto when they had caught the Pterodactyl. For a second he had lost himself in those blue eyes that held so much more history in them than was normal for a 23 year old, and so he let Ianto in.
For once his instincts had failed him. They didn't warn him of the upcoming betrayel. He trusted Ianto, he flirted with him, he felt himself open up to him. Then it hit him in the face again. Another person in his life had betrayed him, had exploited his trust. So why he hadn't killed Ianto the second he noticed the betrayel was still a mystery to him, but he was glad he hadn't shot Ianto right there in the cellar.
Maybe his instincts had been right from the start. Jack found himself understanding. He understood why Ianto had done it. Jack could understand love. Despite what everyone was thinking, Jack had loved, deeply loved, desperately loved. He would have done some really stupid stuff to save the ones he loved. Actually he had done some pretty stupid things in his past because of love.
In the end he could forgive and so could Ianto. It was the start to something wonderful. Ianto understood it to get under Jack's skin, he found his way through the wall and discovered Jack's true self, and Jack let him. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity Jack allowed himself to love another person again. A person that had betrayed him in the past, but maybe that was the point. They had worked past the betrayel and found a deep understanding of each other. They found comfort in each other. They found stability in each other.
And since the other members of the team knew about them, it was easier to show their affection for each other in the Hub. It was not important what the others thought of their relationship. All that mattered was what they themselves knew what they had, and it was something that astonished Jack every day.
So he found himself watching Gwen, Owen and Tosh leave the Hub when another day was over. Standing next to the green house he let his eyes travel over his domain, his home for the past 100 years. Myfanwy screamed above his head and he smiled when two arms slid around his waist from behind and a chin was rested on his shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
Jack pulled Ianto's arms closer around him and allowed himself to lean back into the embrace, "Just thinking some random thoughts."
"About me?"
"Actually, yes. About the two of us."
"You do that often, don't you?"
"Quite, yes."
"Good thoughts?"
Jack turned in Ianto's arms, "Always."
Smiling, Ianto pulled Jack in for a kiss, "Liar. But I love you regardless." The goofy smile on Jack's face showed Ianto that those words still had the same effect as the first time he had said them, "Let's go home. We can grab something to eat on the way." Ianto gave Jack a quick kiss on the nose and pulled back from the embrace, "I'll shut down everything and set the rift alarm to alert you on your mobile if necessary."
Jack watched Ianto jumping down the stairs and smiled again. Sometimes it was good to let the wall down.