The other time Jack was sick…

It had been two weeks now since Ianto had gotten sick and he was feeling much better. The occasional sniffle was all that was left from the cold. He hadn't liked being ill, but to be honest with himself, it had been quite nice being pampered by Jack. They hadn't snuggled so much in the last two years as they had in the last two weeks. And Ianto had enjoyed it. He would never admit it to anyone, but just being held in Jack's strong arms was enough to make him feel better.

However, when the alarm went off next to his ear, he groaned and slammed his hand on the annoying device to shut it up. Forcing one eye open he hoped that it had been a malfunction, but the clocked mocked him with red digits and told him, no it really was 6:30am. Letting out another groan, Ianto stretched his body and arms, surprised when his left arm fell on the still sleeping figure next to him. Now that was unusual.

Jack, normally the early bird, was still sleeping next to him, not even the blaring alarm had been able to wake him up. Smiling, Ianto turned on his left side and skidded closer to Jack, their faces only inches apart.

"Hey Captain, it's time to wake up."

When Jack still didn't show any reaction, Ianto went for a more direct approach and closed the distance between them, pressing his lips on those of his lover. Frowning, when not even kissing Jack woke him up, Ianto sat up.

"Now stop kidding around, we have to get up." Shaking his lover gently, he only earned himself a muffled groan. At least something….

Chuckling, Ianto decided, he could give Jack at least a few more minutes and climbed out of bed, heading to the bathroom. He left the door open, hoping that the sound of running water would manage to wake Jack up and maybe there was a quick morning shag in it as well. But by the time, he was rinsing his body clean of the foam, Ianto was still alone in the shower.

Now starting to get worried, he towelled himself dry quickly and walked back into the bedroom. Jack hadn't moved an inch. Ianto sat down next to him on the bed and reached his hand out to stroke a few sweaty strands from the other man's forehead, frowning when he touched the hot skin. Jack was burning up.

Ianto quickly pulled the covers down to get better access and found Jack slightly shivering but eradiating heat as if a fire was burning inside of him. Cupping his lover's face, he softly called out to him, but Jack still showed no reaction. Ianto felt the panic rising and so he grabbed Jack's shoulders and shook him once.

"Jack! Wake up."

A sound that could only be described as a whiny moan escaped Jack's lips, but that was the only reaction he got. Making a decision, he pulled the duvet back up over Jack's body, tucking his lover in and went to get his mobile. A few seconds later, he heard Owen's grumpy voice over the line.

"What?"

"I need you to get over to my place."

"Is Jack not enough for you anymore?" If they had had a video link at that moment, Owen would have seen Ianto's annoyed eye roll.

"Stop it Owen. I need you to check Jack over."

"Oh, so you're not enough for him anymore," Owen grinned smugly and rolled on his back, the phone still pressed to his ear.

"Just shut it. He's running a fever."

"He's probably caught your cold."

"He said, he never gets sick."

"Would seem that he lied, or he couldn't resist your germs, Ianto."

Ianto suppressed the urge to scream and pull Owen through the phone, instead he took a deep breath, counted to three and let it out again.

"I can't wake him up, Owen." That seemed to do the trick, cause Ianto heard Owen scramble out of the bed and let out a sigh of relief when he got the confirmation just a second later.

"I'll be there in ten."

Then the connection went dead and Ianto closed his eyes for a moment. He prayed that he was overreacting, that Jack's body was just dealing with being sick in another way. Maybe his 51st century immune system was the key to this. Maybe it shut the body down completely so it could deal with whatever germ was attacking it.

When he tried to stuff the phone in his pant pocket, Ianto realized that he was still stark naked. Maybe he should put some clothes on to spare Owen a heart attack first thing in the morning. Deciding that it was unlikely that he would leave the flat today, he put some worn out jeans and a hoodie on. Just when he slipped some old trainers on as well, there was a knock on his door. Owen must have broken every speed limit.

Ianto quickly opened the door and let Owen in. The medic didn't lose time with platitudes but asked instead where is patient was.

"In the bedroom of course!" Giving the doctor an where-else-would-he-be annoyed look, Ianto followed him to the still semi-dark room.

Owen was already sitting next to Jack on the bed, the duvet pulled down, ignoring the fact, that Jack was stark naked. He was just pressing his stethoscope to Jack's chest and listened intently. Obviously satisfied with what he was hearing he checked the blood pressure next. Nothing unusual there either, except that it was slightly raised due to the fever.

"He's running a high fever," Owen finally explained after finishing his examination. "I've drawn some blood to check it over in the Hub and I've given him some antibiotics to help him fight whatever is in his system, but I think he's just out cold because he's having the flu. I'm not sure, maybe his 51st century physiology is fighting sickness in other ways as ours."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Ianto agreed, relieved that Owen was jumping to the same conclusion.

"If you ask me, he will sleep for a few hours and then be as fit as ever. You should stay here though and have an eye on him. But you were planning on doing that anyway." Giving Ianto a genuine smile, Owen gathered his things and stuffed them in his backpack. "Call me if there's any change. I'll come back to check on him around noon."

Ianto nodded and led Owen back to the door, relieved that the doctor didn't seem to be bothered that much by Jack's state. Leaning against the now closed front door for a few seconds, he decided that he could as well get some breakfast as there wasn't anything he could do now anyway.

Popping his head into the bedroom once more, he made sure Jack was still sleeping before heading into the kitchen and making himself a coffee. A thud against his front door alerted him to the arrival of his daily newspaper. He had rarely the time to read it, so he made a point of it to read it now from first page to last, enjoying a relaxed breakfast with toast and coffee.

When he was finished he took a look at Jack again, but his partner was still out cold. He hadn't even moved yet.

Pondering what to do with his time, Ianto decided he could as well catch up with the reports that had been neglected over the last two weeks and made himself comfortable with his laptop in the armchair in his bedroom. At first he glanced over at his lover every two minutes, but the only sign that Jack was even there was the slow up and down of the duvet and the tousled mess of dark hair that peeked out of it.

For the next hour, Ianto concentrated on his reports and got some work done. He was just calculating how much office supplies he needed to order for the next month, when a loud sneeze echoed through the room, followed by a muffled moan.

Putting his laptop on the floor, Ianto headed over to the bed, smiling when he saw two blue eyes staring at him reproachfully.

"I feel like shit," Jack croaked out, grimacing when talking hurt his throat.

"You're sick, cariad. It's normal to feel like shit when you're ill."

"I don't get sick." Pouting, Jack wriggled the duvet down, only to start shivering, when the cool air hit his hot skin.

"Well, it seems you do after all." Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Ianto reached out and gently stroked a strand of sweaty hair from Jack's forehead. "You gave me quite the scare this morning."

"Huh?"

"I couldn't wake you up."

"What time is it?" Jack's voice got raspier with each word and he swallowed a few times.

"It's almost 11 am."

"What?" Jack immediately started squirming under the duvet and tried to sit up, but Ianto pushed him back down easily. It was quite scary how easily he could hold Jack down.

"Shh, you stay where you are. I had Owen come here and check you over and we both think, you're down with the flu. So it's bed rest for you for the next few days." Ianto managed to push Jack's arms under the duvet again and pulled it up his body, covering the naked skin. "Now be a good boy and lay back."

"Humph."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." When a sneeze rattled his body, Jack grimaced again. "I never get sick."

"Well, you are now. Do you want anything?"

"Coffee."

"You can have tea."

"But I want coffee."

"Jack, you're sick. We need to keep you hydrated not suck all the fluids from your body with coffee."

"But I don't like tea." Jack's voice took on a very whiny tone and in addition to that his mouth formed a perfect pout.

Ianto could only shake his head. "Who is acting like a child now?"

"I'm not!"

"Sure Jack, whatever you say." Ianto couldn't suppress the eye roll. "If you don't want tea, I can make you a hot chocolate."

"Okay," muttering under his breath, Jack pulled the duvet closer around him, almost hiding the shiver that shook his body.

"You're freezing!" Worriedly putting his hand on Jack's forehead, he realized that the temperature had risen again. "Okay, first things first, we need to get some clothes on you. No argument here!" Ianto raised his hand when Jack opened his mouth to object. "Then we need to bring the fever down." Getting up, Ianto went to his wardrobe and pulled one of his pyjamas out. He knew how Jack hated to wear clothes in bed, but this was no time to play around.

Heading back to the bed, he made quick work of getting Jack into the pyjama, even though the other man wasn't really helping. But as Jack was skilled in getting people out of their clothes, Ianto could use his similar skills and get people back into their clothes just as easy. Tucking Jack back under the duvet, he pointed at him with a warning glance to stay where he was and left for the bathroom.

When he came back several minutes later with a bowl of cold water and a couple of towels, he was still greeted by a full blown out pout.

"Your pouting won't get you anywhere, cariad." Putting the bowl down on the floor, he soaked two towels in the water and wrung them out. Ianto then pushed the duvet up and revealed Jack's legs, now covered in pyjama bottoms. He rolled up the pants and wrapped one of the cold towels around the left leg, earning himself a disapproving groan.

"That's fucking freezing!"

"That's the point of it, now hold still." Wrapping one of the dry flannel towels around the wet one, Ianto repeated the procedure with Jack's other leg. "We need to get your fever down and this is what my mum always did when I was running a temperature." Pulling the duvet back over Jack's legs, he tucked the older man in, smiling when the pout was destroyed by another sneeze.

"It's cold." Jack's wailing was enough to break Ianto's heart, but he wouldn't take the towels off again. Instead he sat down next to his lover and gently cupped his face with both hands.

"I know, cariad. But it will help you to fight the fever." Pressing a kiss to the hot skin of Jack's forehead, Ianto got up again. "Now, promise me, you won't shrug the towels off and I go and make you a hot chocolate."

"Okay." Sulking, Jack pulled the duvet over his head.

Ianto chuckled and placed a box with tissues on the bedside table and headed for the kitchen. It took only a few minutes to prepare the drink, but during that time, Jack's whining came from the bedroom.

"Iaaaantoooo."

"I'll be with you in a minute."

There was silence for a few seconds before another heartbreaking cry echoed through the flat.

"Iaaantooooo."

Sighing he poured the hot water into the cup and stirred the liquid while making his way back into the bedroom.

"I'm here, what is it?"

"I don't want to be alone." Jack's face was mostly hidden under the duvet, only his eyes looked at him sadly.

"I was only in the kitchen." Walking around the bed again to Jack's side, Ianto put the mug on the bedside table next to the tissue box. Just in time to be greeted by another powerful sneeze followed by a pathetic sniffle. He pulled a tissue from the box and handed it over to Jack who took it gratefully and blew his nose. Throwing the tissue on the floor, Jack looked apologetically at Ianto's annoyed expression.

"There's no bin."

"So you take the floor instead. Hold on, I get a bin for you."

"Don't leave me alone."

"Jack, for god's sake, I'm just outside the bedroom and will be back in a few seconds." Shaking his head at the pout his lover gave him, he left the room again and took a deep breath as soon as he was outside. These were going to be a few hard days.

He hadn't even made two steps towards the cabinet to get a bucket when Jack was calling for him again.

Jup, really hard days.

When he returned to the bedroom his eyes widened. How the hell did Jack manage to pepper the floor with used tissues in under two minutes? Sighing, Ianto collected the tissues from the floor and threw them into the bin. He looked up just in time to see Jack grabbling for the mug with the hot chocolate.

"Wait a second!" Pulling the mug out of reach, he was met by another wail, but that dissolved into a happy sigh, when Ianto pulled Jack up into a sitting position and slipped on the bed behind him. Jack immediately snuggled close to Ianto's chest with a content sigh.

Ianto then gave Jack the mug, who took it in both hands and carefully sipped his hot chocolate, while Ianto gently carded his fingers through Jack's sticky hair. Watching Jack drinking, Ianto thought that he had never looked so young and vulnerable. It was as if he had let down his guards completely. Wondering if this was what Jack had been talking about two weeks ago when the positions had been reversed, Ianto smiled. He enjoyed seeing Jack that young and he enjoyed how Jack depended on him in this moment. He knew Jack would drive him nuts over the course of the next few days, but right now, he was completely content with just holding the other man to his chest.

The hot liquid didn't need long to take effect and so Ianto felt Jack getting heavier soon. He took the now empty mug from the older man and put it back onto the table. Then pushing one hand under the duvet, he stroked soothing circles over Jack's belly, remembering how much he had enjoyed that when Jack had done it for him.

Jack snuggled even closer to his chest, turning to his side slightly so he could bury his face in the soft flannel of Ianto's hoodie. He sniffled a few times and let out a sigh, but it didn't take long and he was fast asleep.

Ianto smiled and just held his lover close to his chest, stroking him gently. He was content to just watch Jack sleep when he heard a knock at his door. A glance at his watch told him that it was noon and Owen must be true to his promise to visit. Ianto entangled himself carefully from Jack, trying not to wake the older man, but it seemed Jack was out cold again. He didn't even move an inch when Ianto lowered his head carefully onto the pillow.

True to his word, he found Owen standing in front of his door.

"How is he?"

"He has been awake for half an hour or so and fell asleep again just a few minutes ago."

"Well, I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary in his blood, so I think it's safe to say he has just a nasty cold."

"Yeah, I think so. Although his fever has gone up again, but I'm putting cold towels around his legs to bring it down a bit."

"Good idea, keep that up. It's better as if we pump him full of meds. Any other change?"

"No, besides that he seemed to have regressed to a childlike pouty state, he seems fine." Shooting Owen a murderous glare, when the doctor snickered, he followed him into the bedroom. Jack hadn't moved from where he had laid him down.

Owen quickly took Jack's vitals again, noticing thankfully that Jack was wearing a pyjama now and patted the sleeping man on the shoulder.

"Everything seems fine. It's good for him if he sleeps a lot and I guess it's good for you as well." Chuckling again, Owen grabbed his backpack and made his way back out of the bedroom. "I drop by again after work. And you call me if there's any change for the worst, okay?"

Ianto nodded and followed Owen to the front door.

"The girls are asking for you by the way. How are you feeling? It's only two weeks, not exactly enough time to be fully recovered."

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Just don't overdo it, okay? If you need help, just call. I'm sure Gwen and Tosh are dying to see a sick Jack."

"I very much doubt that," Ianto said knowingly.

"So bad, huh?"

"Iaaantooooo?"

Both men turned when a whiny voice came from the bedroom.

"Don't answer that." Owen chuckled again and patted Ianto on the shoulder. "You can do it mate. Just think of how you can use it against him, when he's back on his feet."

Owen knew he had said the right thing, when a mischievous smile played over Ianto's face.

"Take care and call me, if you need any help."

"Thank you Owen. Give the girls my best."

"Iaaantoooo."

"I'm coming, Jack."

Still grinning, Ianto made his way back into the bedroom. His smile was met by yet another pout from Jack.

"It's so hot and the pyjama is scratchy."

"No, it's not. You just don't like to wear anything in bed. But we can do something against the heat." Ianto kept smiling, inwardly thanking his parents for teaching him patience. He walked around the bed and pushed back the duvet at Jack's feet. Unwrapping the towels he soaked them again and put them back around Jack's legs, ignoring the glare he received from his lover. When he was finished, he pushed the duvet back down and smiled at Jack. "Now, what about you trying to sleep some more."

"I can't breathe and my head is pounding. I don't like being sick."

"No one likes to be sick. When exactly was the last time you have been sick?"

Jack's furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "I don't know, probably when I was a kid? During my time with the time agency they always pumped us full of antibodies against any known illness. I guess those vaccinations are losing effect now." Being the picture of complete misery, Jack looked up at Ianto. "I really don't like being sick."

"I know, cariad. But you will get better. Just try and get some sleep okay?"

"I don't like to sleep alone."

Smiling when he heard Jack repeating what he had said two weeks ago, Ianto walked around the bed again and climbed in on his side. Shuffling over to Jack, he lifted the duvet and Jack immediately snuggled close to his chest, one arm possessively draped around his waist.

Playing with the strands at Jack's neck while the older man drifted off to sleep, Ianto thought that the next couple of days might not be that bad after all.