It felt like hours later when they finally lay nestled in each other's arms as a warm post orgasmic glow settled over them along with the blankets Ianto had pulled up. His head resting on Jack's chest as the sound of his heartbeat lulled him towards a sleepy stupor that only ever seemed to follow fantastic sex. He was still struggling to find words to express himself that went beyond monosyllabic moans of pleasure.

Jack stroked his shoulder as he held him close, lost in the perfection of the moment they had shared, wondering how long before he recovered enough to see if it was a fluke or an experience that could be replicated. He prayed it was the latter and he wasn't a prayerful man by nature. He didn't even notice as sleep claimed them until he woke a few hours later to find Ianto licking his cock. His breath stolen from him in a guttural cry of pleasure, this was the best way to wake up. It was his turn to hold onto Ianto and let himself go beneath the man's gentle, if hesitant touch.

Ianto kissed his way up Jack's body until he found the man's lips and teased him until he was begging for more before pulling back.

Jack groaned. 'Ianto, what are you doing to me?'

'We didn't establish something.'

This had Jack's attention, he wasn't sure what to expect when Ianto blushed softly, which he found endearing and terrifying in equal measure.

'Well, obviously I like being a bottom, but, well...' He blushed a deeper shade of red.

Jack grinned. 'I'm more than happy to switch if that's what you wanted to know.' He brushed his fingers along Ianto's cheek. 'I'm not really one for labels, and I can't wait to feel your cock inside me.' This seemed to relax the Welshman as Jack nearly lost it when Ianto kissed his neck. There was this one spot that drove him wild and Ianto had found it, the point where his neck met his shoulder just above his clavicle. He was fairly sure it wasn't a secret that he liked what Ianto was doing to him, he was just a bit worried the neighbours could also tell. A thought he instantly forgot when Ianto decided to see if it was just the one side that made Jack moan or if it was symmetrical.

It was symmetrical as it transpired and Jack cried out just as loudly as Ianto dominated him. For someone who hadn't had sex in over a year he hadn't forgotten what went where for the maximum pleasure of all.

Jack pulled Ianto into his arms and kissed the corner of his mouth with a feather light touch. 'That was.' He sighed softly, there were no words, not really.

'Thank you Jack.' He smiled as lips kissed his forehead. His voice filled with sleepy contentment. He knew later he'd analyse what had happened between them and berate himself for enjoying sex with Jack. Not just a little bit but really enjoying what had happened between them. And there would be time enough for guilt that it hadn't quite been like that with Dylan. But all that would be later, right now he was too spent to do anything but hold onto Jack and sigh contented sighs of complete satisfaction.

Jack stretched as he reached for Ianto but found the other side of the bed empty. He frowned, after the night they had shared he hadn't expected to wake alone, he hadn't wanted to wake alone. He'd wanted to lose himself in Ianto before they made any sort of move towards breakfast. He found a dressing gown draped over the foot of the bed and pulled it on as he padded through the flat, looking for his lover. He grinned, he liked the way that felt. Perhaps who was on top wasn't the only thing they should have established first. It had never bothered him to put a label on things before, but that was before he'd started falling in love with someone who hopefully could love him back.

What he hadn't expected to find was Ianto sitting on the floor of the second bedroom surrounded by pictures of himself and someone he could only assume had been Dylan. There were also a number of sketches and paintings lying around the room. The depth of the dead man's talent was the least of Jack's concerns as he found Ianto running a finger over the image of a dead lover's face. He couldn't compete with a memory and he felt his smile fade as Ianto smiled up at him. But who, Jack wondered, was Ianto Jones really smiling at as he felt a cold touch brush against his skin.

'I didn't want to wake you.'

'You could have, I wouldn't have minded.'

Ianto smiled, was he imaging it or had there been a slight chill to the man's tone. 'Do you have anything planned for today?'

Jack shrugged, he knew he was being evasive, but he also hadn't expected to find Ianto pawing pictures of his ex either. 'I have a few things I need to do back at the office.' He knew the words were a lie but they rolled off his tongue anyway. He was glad he hadn't said anything embarrassing like 'I love you' when he'd been fucking Ianto. But the man seemed to take his lie at face value as he nodded.

'Fair enough.'

'Yeah, I should get dressed.'

'Is there a rush for you to do that...' Ianto rose to his feet and moved towards Jack.

Jack closed his eyes as Ianto put his arms around his waist and hugged him, kissed him. Part of him wanted to kiss Ianto back, take him back to bed and lose himself in the man. And a part of him, honed by years in a fucked up relationship with John, wanted to run as warning bells sounded deep within his heart.

He pulled away when he wanted nothing more than to take Ianto at face value and go back to bed. 'I should really go.'

Ianto stepped back and tried not to look hurt. 'Ah ha.' He walked around Jack and headed for his kitchen, it seemed less important now if the man followed him or not and he wanted coffee.

Jack followed Ianto and found him staring out the window at his garden. He wasn't an expert in all things Ianto Jones but he would have to be a complete idiot not to recognise the man's posture. He'd mirrored it himself enough times. He kept his voice soft. 'Ianto?'

Ianto closed his eyes and thought about everything that had happened. 'I didn't want him to be right.'

'What are you talking about?' Every word sinking into his heart with a heavy hand.

'You and John deserve each other.' He folded his arms across his body as if he could lock himself away. 'I think you should go home Jack, slink out the door and just, walk away.'

'What brought this on?' Fear began filling the spaces between heartbeats, had he been right about Ianto or wrong? Ianto handed him his phone, a text message from John on the screen.

'Hope it was fun eyecandy, he'll run away now.'

'I'm not running away.'

'That's two lies Jack, and it's barely twelve hours since we ended up in bed. So yeah, I think you should go.'

Jack groaned, he knew he couldn't lie to this man but he'd gone and done it anyway. 'Fine.' He decided there was no point arguing about it as he left the phone on the table. It only took him a few minutes to pull his clothes on and leave the dressing gown on the bed where he'd found it. Ianto was sitting on the sofa sipping coffee as he looked up, Jack thought he he looked like he had something more to say but the man remained silent.

'I'll be going then.'

Ianto just nodded. He'd been so close to asking Jack to stay but something stopped him, maybe it had been too soon for him, maybe he had too much emotional baggage. But he suspected his was nothing on the matched set Jack carried around. And he no longer wanted to get to the bottom of the man. He felt manipulated, either by John with his text message, or by Jack who was running away. He wasn't sure which idea bothered him more as he watched Jack practically doing the walk of shame out the door. He looked like he was on the verge of saying something but in the silence he just shook his head and walked away. And Ianto let him even though it pulled him apart to do it. He'd taken a chance on something and it had been thrown back at him.

Everything had been fine until they'd woken up and Jack had found him looking at old pictures. Saying goodbye to his past. But instead of saying hello to his future he was sitting alone, on his sofa, when he really wanted to be in bed with Jack. He even considered running after the man, calling him back so they could talk. But he didn't know if he'd get the truth, or another lie. Dylan had called it his Wonder Woman thing, being a human lie detector. It didn't mean the emotional cost of being lied to was lessened in any way, it just meant he always knew. Some super power really. He decided he needed to change the sheets of his bed and move though is usual Saturday morning routine. Maybe then he could see what tomorrow would bring.

Jack hesitated outside Ianto's door, he didn't even understand how this had happened, how he'd ended up on the wrong side of the door. He moved slowly away as the inner voice he'd argued with on many an occasion yelled at him. Called him an idiot and that he knew exactly where it went wrong. Instead of asking Ianto what he had been doing, looking at pictures of someone else. Someone who had formed a significant part of the man's life. He'd frozen up and tarred the man with the same brush as John and assumed it wasn't him Ianto had been kissing after all.

Of course he had no way of knowing if that was true now, not since he'd ended up outside and walking home. And why had he lied, the man knew he'd lied. He had nothing to go home to except an inner voice that was currently occupied with calling him an idiot and a coward and a fool for walking away and not walking back. He changed direction and started to walk towards the park rather than home. Thankful that for a change, it wasn't actually raining in Cardiff.

Ianto set the last plate in the dish rack, he'd cleaned his kitchen, the washing machine was almost done, he'd be able to hang his sheets out soon. Which still left him the entire weekend to fill in. This was not what he'd expected to happen. He'd expected to go back to bed with Jack, make love then make breakfast. While his plans hadn't extended any further than that, they hadn't involved washing his dishes alone either. He went though the motions and hung his washing out before his feet found their way back to the second bedroom.

Maybe it was time he put a few pictures up. Not everything Dylan had ever drawn or painted had been images of nude or semi naked men. There was a particular painting he'd always loved the most. It was a single flower opening as the last drops of dew dried on delicate petals. It would be nice to have it hanging on the wall again, after being banished to a crate for the last twelve months. His phone began to ring, he felt his heart beating faster as he checked the caller ID. Except it wasn't Jack.