10

Jack followed behind Ianto, trying not to think about touching him earlier. He knew how disorienting the first casting could be and had reached out to steady him but it had backfired on him. He had been the one to feel the earth rattle beneath his feet at the silky sensation of Ianto's skin gripped lightly under his hands. It had taken everything in him not to pull him closer and fit his curves to his own hardened body. But, he hadn't, and he couldn't. Any physical interaction with Ianto was out of the question. What would the King have thought of him considering such a thing? What would the Protectorate make of such a breach in conduct? He couldn't touch him ever again. Then, why couldn't he think of anything else?

"I'm getting hungry. When can we stop to eat?" Toshiko gave a low whine. She had handed over the flashlight to him and had trudged along reluctantly now that she no longer knew which way to go.

Ianto stopped in front of him and turned to face his friend. "Did you bring food with you?"

"Of course. I never go anywhere without a little something to munch."

Jack had been toying with the idea of waiting out the guards by hanging out in the cave overnight. He just wasn't sure that they would leave until the owners of the SUV showed up and drove away. Since that wasn't going to happen, they had to think of something else to throw off the guards. He still thought it was a good idea to hunker down until they could figure something out.

"We need to keep moving. I have to get back to Torchwood." Ianto demanded.

Making his voice as reassuring as possible, Jack said, "We will get back there, Ianto, but Toshiko might be right."

"I might be right? That's a new one."

"What I mean is that we should probably camp here overnight and try to wait out the Portal Police. If there is no reason to, they won't stick around any longer than they have to."

"So, you want to sleep in this cave tonight? And you think they will leave by morning?"

"That's what I'm hoping. Otherwise, we're going to have to fight our way to the portal and, again, I don't want to cause any more problems for ourselves or others. The best case scenario would be for them to go before we attempt crossing to Torchwood."

Toshiko jumped up and down a couple times. "I love camping. Let's do it."

"It's kind of cold in here. How are we going to keep warm? What will we sleep on? I seriously doubt Toshiko's few snacks will sustain all of us." Ianto spluttered.

"All of your concerns are valid, Ianto, but I can span to a nearby store I recently visited. I'll pick up some camping gear and food and sneak back."

"Now that we've been here, why don't we pop out to a nice, warm bed and pop back in tomorrow morning?" Jack considered the suggestion but said, "Staying here provides the best chance of keeping track of the movements of the Portal Police. If we leave, we could possibly jump right back into a dangerous situation."

"Well, we don't all have to stay here, do we?"

"I am not letting you out of my sight." Jack shot back.

"I was afraid you would say that."

But he did let them out of his sight as he warned them not to try to start a fire before he spanned out of the cave and returned within the hour with camping gear. He knew he had to be quick because it wouldn't be long before Ianto considered making a run for the portal. His only hope was that Ianto knew deep down that he was right. In order to get through the Portal Police, he'd have to break about five more laws just to make it happen.

Of course, he probably knew he was already looking at a death sentence, but if he could convince him he would help him find the book he was looking for, he might not do anything crazy...yet. Jack spanned back into the cave, relieved to see both Ianto and Toshiko sitting on low boulders, talking and laughing with each other.

"Glad to see you're still here."

"I considered making a break for it." Ianto shrugged and sat back, stretching out his legs and moving that pert arse that Jack shouldn't be noticing. "I didn't want to get Toshiko caught up in my delinquent behaviour. I'd never be able to live with myself if Toshiko were injured or thrown in jail. Worst of all, I didn't want to be responsible for anyone's death."

"That's kind of out of character for an assassin, isn't it?"

Again, Ianto's response was a shrug.

Why did Jack feel like he'd barely scratched the surface of who Ianto actually was? Toshiko clasped her hands beneath her chin and asked, "What did you bring us to eat?"

Jack set some grocery-type bags on a waist-high boulder beside where he was standing. "There should be something edible in these."

He began unloading boxes and small, aluminium-type packages. He ripped one open at the top, grabbed a plastic spoon, and handed it to Toshiko. She sniffed it hesitantly and Ianto watched her nose wrinkle. "What is this, Jackson?"

"Um...can't say for sure. It's a camping ration. I picked up biscuits and gravy, spaghetti, and chicken fried rice." He pulled a small canister out of another bag. "After we add a little water to it, I can heat it up if you want."

They dined on mushy, somewhat flavourful food-like meals, with boxes of crackers, and bottles of water. It wasn't the best dinner Jack had ever eaten, but he'd had worse. Throughout the makeshift dinner, Jack watched Ianto interacting with Toshiko. He could tell there was a strong bond between the two.

He thought it was another unusual characteristic for someone who had been trained to kill people. He just couldn't seem to reconcile what he'd been told about Ianto and the man sitting with him. He wanted some answers, but with Toshiko here, he wasn't ready to ask the hard questions. He'd have to get Ianto alone somehow.

Once they'd cleaned everything up, Jack quickly spanned the trash to a receptacle and spanned back into the cave within a matter of minutes. Ianto and Tosh had already laid out a couple of sleeping bags beside each other, and they'd placed his several feet away on the other side of a large boulder.

It wasn't going to work.

He moved his sleeping bag on the other side of Ianto's instead.

"A little close, Jack. Be careful. I might get ideas." Ianto deadpanned.

Jack wasn't sure if he was threatening him or suggesting he'd developed an attraction to him, but he chose to ignore the comment. "If I want to get sleep tonight, we will lay next to each other. No exceptions."

"Fine. But I must warn you, I snore. Loudly."

"Good. Then, if the snoring stops, I'll know you're trying to leave without me."

Ianto laughed lightly, and Jack loved the softness of his eyes as the humour filled their depths. Jack felt his chest tighten as he met and held his gaze. Ianto was beautiful. And dangerous, he reminded himself.

Toshiko yawned loudly, drawing their attention away from each other. "I'm kind of sleepy. I'm not trying to be the person who gets her hand dipped in warm water at the sleepover or anything, but I'm going to have to say goodnight."

"Your hand dipped in water? Why would anyone do that?" Ianto asked with surprise.

Toshiko turned to her side, her back to Ianto and Jack as she answered, "To make them pee the bed, of course."

Jack heard the same confusion he was feeling reflected in Ianto's voice as he asked, "Why would anyone want to make another piss the bed?"

Yet, Toshiko didn't answer. She'd drifted off to sleep before explaining such a strange practice, and Jack was thankful that it wasn't a thing in which anyone in his own realm ever participated.

Jack and Ianto lay in the dim darkness side-by-side, each on their back, listening to drips coming from a nearby cavern. Finally Jack muttered "That's one interesting friend you have there."

"The people I've met in this realm are an interesting breed. Most are quite emotional, and they like to touch each other. They literally wrap their arms around each other and squeeze. It's called a hug, and it is a way to show affection."

"A...hug? How odd? And they wrap their arms around each other and squeeze. It sounds more like an attack."

Suddenly, Ianto shifted until he was on his side. "No. The touch is firm, but it's more...comforting."

Jack turned on his side to face him. The air between them grew thicker. There was only a foot separating them, and Jack let his gaze trace the curvature of Ianto's body. It was a beautiful combination of hills and valleys he desired to explore. He had the urge to get closer. His heart raced as he said, "Show me."

"Show you a hug?"

With a nod, he felt the anticipation of Ianto's touch send an electrical pulse swimming throughout his body. He wanted to feel his hands on his skin. It was dangerous, but, in that moment, he needed his touch.

His breathing picked up as Ianto wiggled toward him, reaching his right arm to wrap over his torso. "Lift your head, and I'll put my arm under you."

He followed his direction and found the distance between them cut to nothing. They were connected, body to body, and he had never felt such an urgency to meet another's lips with his own.

This was not completely foreign to him. Of course Torchwoodians procreated and even had sex recreationally, but he had never felt this level of intimacy. Then, Ianto squeezed his arms tighter, pushing into his chest, and he felt his warm breath on his neck. It was nearly his undoing as his body reacted. He barely suppressed a groan as he felt his cock swell. It took everything in him not to grind against him. He hadn't lost his mind completely...yet. Showing how close he was, though, he ran his lips along the crown of Ianto's head, feeling the silky slide of his hair beneath his skin.

"Now, wrap your arms around me and give me a hug back."

He gathered his wits about him and controlled his breathing enough to wrap his own arms around Ianto's body and squeeze. He wondered if Ianto could feel the rapid pounding of his heart. Despite his natural aversion to touch, he had to admit, he liked this. Perhaps it was only because it was Ianto.

Perhaps it was being in this realm.

No matter what the reason was, he felt like he could hold Ianto like this throughout the entire night and never grow tired of the feel of him in his arms. Ianto tipped his face up, and Jack looked down into his eyes. His gaze dropped lower—to his mouth. It looked soft and inviting. He couldn't resist closing the distance between them and running his lips over his.

It was light at first, but when Ianto returned the kiss, instinct took over and Jack deepened the connection. Their mouths moved together in a wild dance, and Jackson felt himself losing control.

"It's all in good fun." At the sound of Toshiko's sleepy voice, Ianto pulled back, and Jack reluctantly let him go.

Jack rose upon his elbow as Ianto turned away to see if Toshiko had awakened. As she gave a soft snore, though, it was obvious she was still asleep. She might have been speaking in her sleep. Or, she barely woke up and slipped back off quickly. Either way, the moment was ruined, and Jack had to question his sanity.

He'd just gotten physical with an assassin who would sooner kill him as kiss him. Yet, he'd kissed him in return, and he had been so lost to passion, he would have gladly taken a knife to the gut just to continue the kiss.

But he clearly hadn't been the only one affected. In the darkness, he heard the air working in and out of Ianto's lungs rapidly. he was feeling as out of control as he was. And probably just as confused.

Yet, he kept his back to Jack as he whispered softly "Goodnight, Jackson. See you in the morning."

Jack ran a hand down his face to clear his brain. With another lower stroke of his hand, he adjusted himself and turned over. "Goodnight, Ianto."

He wanted to say how much he liked the hug and, especially, the kiss, but he was confused by his reaction. He flip-flopped between wanting to take him in his arms again and wanting to shake himself for allowing what happened to happen. He knew it was the wrong thing to say the minute he said it, but he couldn't seem to stop the words from rushing out of his mouth. "Don't try anything."

Ianto didn't reply, and Jack hoped he was already asleep. He might have imagined the tightening of Ianto's shoulders, but he ignored his instinct to soothe him, turned over, and tried to slip off to sleep.

It took a lot longer for sleep to overtake him.

His final thoughts continued to turn back to the kiss, and he could still feel Ianto's touch on his skin. Yet, the thought that kept him awake the longest was knowing that he would betray Ianto tomorrow once they crossed the portal.

Was it the right thing to do, or was he just being an asshole?

He was pretty sure he knew the answer.