It was about nine thirty by the time Ianto's head started to droop. They were sat in front of the television watching some inane comedy game show. Jack found it hard to try and find things that were innocuous for Ianto to watch.
Yes, he was an adult in there. But his processes were childlike and Jack didn't want him getting over confused. Still The Simpsons had helped, then a few soap operas and a game show. Television didn't really interest Jack much. He thought about getting the laptop out to work on the calibration but he thought that Ianto would probably just be nosy and distract him. So instead he sat with Ianto curled up against him. Ianto snuggled against Jack as they watched television, and Ianto put Barney in Jack's lap.
They occupied the sofa and Brad took the armchair, watching them both carefully with his green eyes. He had been fine throughout the evening, just following and watching. Jack had added some tuna to his bowl, and a bit of grated cheese. He had turned his nose up at it initially, seeing that Jack had given it to him. But in the end temptation had got the better of him. While Jack had hung the washing on the higher rails of the dryer and Ianto had laboriously hung socks and underwear on the lower ones, Brad had stuffed his furry face.
When Ianto started to slump against him, Jack moved.
"Come on you, time for bed."
"No," Ianto whined, clinging to him.
"Yes, I'll stay with you for a bit but you are falling asleep, so you go to bed," Jack said sternly, in the tone he used when he wanted to get Ianto to behave himself, even when he was an adult. Because he was already in his pyjamas it was easy for Jack. He just took him upstairs to the main bedroom and pulled down the covers putting Ianto in, tucking him and Barney in. Ianto submitted to it, and Jack sat on the bed next to him, to wait for him to sleep.
"Story," Ianto said.
"What story?"
"I want a story," Ianto said. "Like Tosh."
Jack gaped for a moment and then pulled himself together. "You want me to tell you a fairy story."
Ianto nodded. There was a determined look in his eyes. If he was going to do the thing that scared him the most, sleeping, he wanted reassurance beforehand. Toshiko had given it to him last night, now Jack was all on his own. Mentally he desperately ran through to try and find something he could tell him. He didn't know any sort of traditional fairy story. He couldn't really remember any tales he had been told as a child. For a moment he was lost, he floundered and then one thing came to mind. A memory that was dark, a fearful thing that was haunting him. Maybe he could fight it in a different way than he had been trying to recently.
"Okay, you want to hear a story?"
Ianto nodded. Jack moved down on the bed, settling himself a little and tucking Ianto close to him. Barney the bear lay close to Ianto and Jack reached out to put a hand on the soft plush fur and he found it as comforting at Ianto did. Barney was a thing, but it was also something real that didn't judge or hate or hurt, he was just there to comfort. The bed shifted again as Brad launched himself up. He glared at them, turned in a circle and settled himself at the end of the bed, as he always did when Ianto slept. Keeping as strong a vigil as Jack always did.
"Okay," Jack said. "Once upon a time there was a magical man. And this magical man called himself The Doctor. He travelled around his time machine, disguised as a blue wooden box. Now, the Handsome Prince Jack, who lived in Cardiff, was waiting to see the magical man."
Ianto's whimper was almost a snarl.
"Bear with me," Jack said. "And he waited and waited, for over a hundred years. So when the magical Doctor came, Jack ran away. The princesses Toshiko and Gwen were upset, as was Little Prince Ianto and even Lord Owen missed his step brother. But Prince Jack had to go. There was something he had to do. He saw the magical box and ran towards it as the Doctor tried to run away from him.
"But Prince Jack was a brave strong prince. He flung himself at the box and clung on tight as it disappeared. The wind was strong, trying to pull him away and it hurt him all the way down to his bones."
Ianto whimpered again. Jack cuddled him and kissed Ianto on the top of his head.
"However much it hurt, there was nothing that could stop Prince Jack, so he clung on and waited until they landed and then…."
Jack started to tell the story that he had sworn to himself that he would never, ever tell. He told it without edit, but there were euphemisms. The horrors were taken away, changed into other things, magic, or fairy dust or the many other things that fairy tales could do to make the story less horrific.
And he talked, and talked. He told Ianto everything, except the part of the year where Jack had been away was missing. That was a whole other story. He left that out. Ianto didn't want to hear about himself. Or maybe he did, but not as a child. No, Jack told the story of what happened on The Valiant. There was no horror, none of the awful things but Jack talked about it. It was only when he reached the part about Martha's return that he realised his audience was fast asleep.
Well, one of them was anyway. Brad still looked at him with cool green eyes. He was still curled up on the end of the bed, his eyes fixed on Jack.
Jack slowly moved Ianto. He didn't stir as Jack tucked him in. He was fast asleep with one hand curled tightly around Barney. Jack slid out and left him, he went downstairs and picked up the laptop. As he sat on the sofa he paused. He didn't want to be that far away. It made something in him ache to be away from Ianto, when he slept, when he was vulnerable. Jack looked around, he picked up the laptop and the portable CD player, winding the lead around his arm and he picked three CD's from the rack. He went upstairs and put his head in the main room. Ianto still slept, his snuffing breaths one sound, Brad's contented purrs the other.
He backed off and moved to the opposite room. He turned on the lamp and it gave out a low light. Jack located the plug near the bed to plug in the laptop and he turned it on. Then he went to the dresser on the far side. He put the CD player down and plugged it in the plug under the window. He took one CD and put it in. He set it playing, lowering the volume until Glen Miller was a low soothing tone.
Ianto had bought the CD for him. Jack had never used it. One of the other two he had brought with him had never been taken out of the plastic wrapping. Jack found it soothing, but sometimes he avoided it. Particularly with Ianto. He didn't, in a way, want to give that part of himself to Ianto. It was his, and The Doctor's and Rose's. But he had tonight given another part of himself away, knowing that Ianto couldn't judge him, or argue with him, but Jack admitted to himself that Ianto deserved to know.
Above everyone else.
Ianto was the one that deserved to know about The Doctor and why Jack had run to him, forgetting everyone else. Would he remember and comprehend it when he changed back? Jack wondered if he wanted that, because Ianto would be able to comprehend the euphemism and he would see the pain Jack had suffered. Jack did want him to know, to understand, and in the same breath he didn't. He couldn't foist his own pain on to someone who felt so much of his own. That was unfair, which was why, so often, Jack never talked.
He didn't want to be a burden, when he felt that that was all he was.
But still, by the dim light of Ianto's spare bedroom and to the soothing sound of Glen Miller, Jack started to work. If he couldn't fix anything else about Ianto, he could fix this. So he would.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Jack worked into the night. He didn't need to sleep. Naturally his body was not predisposed to it, but after his death and resurrection it was almost unnecessary. He could relax, dropping into a trance-like state but most of the time he didn't like to. The things in his mind snuck up on him. He felt safe when he was with Ianto, as Ianto felt safe with him. Without even realising it, both of them had become attached, above and beyond their initial agendas. And now they were impossible to separate. Even if they tried other relationships they would always come back to each other.
So that was why Jack carefully used the laptop. He took the data and configured it, reconfigured it, alternated it, and worked with it every way possible.
Earlier he had managed to grab a quick shower, using all the baby stuff that he had used on Ianto. All of it had smelt very nice. He didn't really understand the whole putting different scents on, that most humans did. And they never really bothered to correspond it. Soap, deodorant, body lotion, perfume, one on top of the other, all different smells, layering up like a kind of pollution.
Jack was glad he had only one scent, his own pheromones. He knew they were potent, on this planet at least, but they were all his. But the scent of the baby products did nothing to mask it. They were just easy to fade out.
He was typing away when he heard a small cry. Looking round he glanced at his watch to see it was two thirty. There was the sound of the bed creaking as Ianto moved.
Jack got up off the bed and went to the door as Ianto ran out of the doorway of the main bedroom, obviously looking for him. He was clutching onto Barney his eyes wide, looking around, and a tear slowly rolled down his left cheek. He looked at Jack with hurt eyes. Jack went to him, picking him up without hesitation.
Ianto wrapped his arm around him tightly and held on. He clung to Jack tightly and he began to cry.
"Hey, come on," Jack rocked him gently, running a hand up and down his back. Ianto clung onto him and sobbed. Jack paced the landing with him and from the spare room, Glen Miller soothingly carried on playing.
"Did you have a bad dream?" Jack asked gently.
"Uh-huh," Ianto confirmed between sobs. He pressed his face into Jack's shoulder, his hands tightly laced together at the back of Jack's neck so he couldn't put him down. Not that Jack had any intention of doing so. Instead he carried on pacing the landing, rubbing a hand up and down Ianto's back, soothing him while he cried.
For a brief second he glanced at the bathroom, wondering if it was safe to give him a sedative. He could phone Owen and check, or work out if there was anything he could do. But Jack got the feeling that Owen would go berserk if he suggested doping up Ianto. And he didn't really feel that doing that to him now was entirely ethical.
So instead he paced a little more and waited until Ianto's crying had calmed down to the occasional sniffle.
"Okay now," Jack said in a low tone. "It's all right, nothing's going to hurt you. It was just a bad dream."
"Scared," Ianto announced. Jack hugged him a little tighter and kissed Ianto's hair.
"What have you got to be scared of?" Jack asked gently. There was a little pause and Ianto shifted against him.
"The robot lady."
Jack froze. For one split second, everything stopped, and a cold shiver of dread ran down his spine. It was only momentary, he snapped himself out of it as he felt Ianto tense. Jack turned to carry on pacing, using the length of the bedrooms as he went back and forth with Ianto.
"What robot lady?"
Jack cringed as he asked that. He shouldn't be asking it. Not to a three year old Ianto. He had no right to start bringing the subject up in the state he was in. But it was probably the one and only time that he could bring it up. He'd get an answer.
"The silver robot lady. She's all shiny," Ianto said. He huddled tighter to Jack. Jack turned as he paced into Ianto's bedroom. Brad was still on the bed, watching the scene with his green eyes, staring at Jack accusingly as he pawed the rumpled duvet.
"The robot lady isn't here. Where do you see her?"
"In the tunnels, its dark, she chases me," Ianto sniffled.
Jack tensed. It had been a very tentative agreement they had. Ianto never offered any information on what he nightmares were all about. Jack wouldn't ever ask. He could guess. It would be bound to have something to do with Canary Wharf, something that Ianto had not got over. Which was probably not helped by his attempt to keep Lisa alive. Jack had some idea of what she had done to Ianto. She had manipulated him perfectly so he would acquiesce to her without question while he believed her to be what he so desperately wanted her to be.
However, he had never really thought she was the source of the nightmares. Or at least he never thought she was an actual source of the terror. The problem was, if that was the case, how far back did the fear go? Before she went berserk and tried to kill them all, or had something in Ianto feared her before then. With him knowing she was dangerous, unstoppable, but still with Ianto desperately trying to kid himself that he could cure her.
And now her loss, and what Jack had done to her, along with Ianto's own fears meant that he could never sleep peacefully unless Jack was there to comfort him, or the drugs kept his subconscious mind completely subdued.
"It's all right," Jack said, almost literally biting his tongue to prevent him asking any more questions. If Ianto ever got to a point where he could really talk about it then he would, but until that day Jack knew he shouldn't ask. Instead he paced back out to the landing. Ianto sniffed again, tightening his grip on Jack.
"Do you want to come and sit with me?" Jack asked him. Ianto gave a little whimper and nodded. Jack felt the movement of his head against his shoulder. "Okay." Jack added.
He carried Ianto into the spare room and went around to the far side of the bed and flipped up the duvet. He pulled back one of the pillows he had been using to prop himself up on and he sat down on the side of the bed to then prise Ianto off him.
"Come on, let go Ianto, I'm not going to disappear."
Reluctantly Ianto let go. Jack very gently put him into the bed, tucking the duvet around him. One of Ianto's hands reached out, grasping at him. Jack gently took it in his own.
"All right now." Jack's other hand moved to gently run through Ianto's hair. He gazed up at Jack, his wide eyes the most dominant feature in his face, filled with an adult pain that his mind, at the moment, wasn't entirely capable of comprehending. He didn't understand the nightmare, there was just fear and darkness, and the sense of it closing in around him.
As an adult Ianto knew he couldn't truly escape the nightmare, all he could do to combat it was subdue it, either with Jack, or drugs. The only option they had at the moment was Jack. He couldn't honestly hope to use any sedatives on Ianto now.
"Where's Barney, do you want Barney?" Jack asked. Ianto nodded but he frowned with fear as Jack got up off the bed.
"I'll just be a minute."
He felt Ianto's eyes fixed on him as he went to the door and out onto the landing. Barney lay in the doorway of Ianto's bedroom where Ianto had discarded him the moment Jack had offered himself. Brad was idly batting at him with one paw and as Barney rolled onto his back Brad pounced, clawing at him and biting Barney's ear.
"Oi, off!" Jack snapped in irritation. He was treated to a swipe from one of Brad's forepaws, but Jack evaded the claws and pulled Barney out of his grip. Jack plumped his stuffing a little so Barney looked a little less sorry for himself, having been abandoned by Ianto, in favour of Jack; and then treated to a cat attack. Barney's stitched in eyes looked at Jack slightly sorrowfully as Jack carried him back to Ianto.
Ianto lay on his side, his eyes fixed on the door, relief flooding his face as Jack reappeared. Jack clambered onto the bed and handed Barney to Ianto. He clutched him tightly pulling him to his chest. Jack watched Ianto's fingers working against Barney's fur. He sat on the bed next to Ianto, putting the laptop aside, moving it to the end of the bed. Ianto watched every move he made carefully, frightened that Jack was going to disappear. Jack smiled down at him and smoothed down Ianto's ruffled hair. Ianto blinked and shuffled closer to Jack.
"Nothing's going to hurt you," Jack said gently. Ianto didn't look entirely convinced. "Do you want me to tell you any more of the story?"
He wasn't quite sure where he was up to, or at least at what point Ianto had fallen asleep. Ianto shook his head and just carried on looking at Jack. Jack tried not to feel offended by that, obviously his story telling abilities were not to Tosh's standard.
He was distracted as Brad sauntered into the room and hefted himself onto the bed, nearly landing on the laptop.
"Oi," Jack shot to the end of the bed and pulled the laptop clear before he could walk all over the keyboard. Jack moved it to the bedside table instead. "I'm not having you ruining all my hard work." Jack informed Brad, who naturally ignored him and moved to the far corner of the bed to settle down and stare at Jack and Ianto in turn.
Ianto watched all the proceedings, his expression calming a little. Jack settled back again after he checked that he had saved all the calibrations. He would double check them when Ianto finally went back to sleep. He was still looking a little tired but was trying to refuse to sleep, for fear of the nightmare.
Jack put a hand back on Ianto's head and he let Ianto cuddle against his leg.
"It's all right; nothing's going to hurt you."
Ianto gave a contended murmur and snuggled down deeper into the covers and Jack continued to reassure him until he finally drifted back off to sleep.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Ianto slept through the rest of night, waking up at seven forty-five. He had looked up to find Jack still there and having checked his calibrations several times he had turned off the computer and was instead watching Ianto sleep.
Once they were up Jack had put Ianto in front of the television, watching some morning chat show while he washed and got dressed. Ianto was still in his pyjamas, but Jack would deal with him after breakfast. And he would phone Owen at some point to find out how their work on the machine had gone. Jack hoped that Owen had sent Toshiko home at some point to get some rest.
When he got dressed he went to find Ianto in the living room. He was, Jack noticed, far less clingy in the light of day, reassured by Jack's constant presence overnight. However Jack still felt a little edgy knowing the specific content of part of Ianto's nightmares. And another thing that bothered him, the way that Ianto had referred to Lisa.
Was that just his infant mind working out a level of relationship that he might not entirely comprehend or had Ianto completely compartmentalised her? There was Lisa, his girlfriend, and then Lisa, the robot lady as Ianto had put it. Was he now viewing her as two separate people, or personalities?
Jack wasn't quite sure what to make of that. He went into the lounge and stopped, watching Ianto.
Ianto was quite happy, sat in front of the television on one of the cushions off the sofa. He was watching some exercise routine that several people were going through in the show and at the same time was carefully moving Barney to mirror the positions, looking very serious as he put the teddy bear through the aerobics routine.
Jack smirked; it was so undeniably cute, little Ianto, in cute pyjamas, playing with a teddy bear. His head moved from the screen to Barney, carefully concentrating. Jack didn't think it was likely to catch on, teddy bear aerobics. As he thought that, he had a rather bizarre vision of Barney releasing a fitness video. And he promptly started to giggle.
It soon turned into uncontrollable laughter as the thought refused to leave him. So much so that he was forced to sit down on the sofa before he fell over.
At the sound Ianto turned his head, smiling vaguely in Jack's direction but not understanding what Jack was laughing at. So he went back to concentrating on Barney, which did nothing to control Jack's hysterics.
After a few minutes Jack's laughter subsided. Ianto kept glancing back at him, a slightly confused expression on his face and he carried on with what he was doing. Jack smiled at him, at least Ianto was relaxed and happy, but if he was the still in the same state tonight then Jack was possibly going to have to rethink a few things. If nothing else, he had to stay in the same room as Ianto, psychologically it was the only thing that kept him calm.
He knew that was most definitely true when Ianto slept but Jack was also starting to realise that it was also true when Ianto was awake. Ianto liked to be near him, even Jack's mere presence seemed to be enough for him, bringing a security that Jack hadn't been aware of until now. Jack found it a little bit frightening, knowing that Ianto was so dependant on him. And in a way Jack was dependant on him.
Ianto had such a need to look after someone, anyone, after Lisa. For months he had cared for her, looking after her every need. Somehow that had been slowly transferred over to Jack, not just after Lisa died, but before as well. To a point it was self-preservation. Ianto wanted, needed, to be around the hub as much as possible and he had taken over so much of Jack's life. The basic chores, making sure Jack and everyone ate regularly, looking after the creatures in the vaults.
Jack didn't think it was just simple habit now, but rather it was something that Ianto needed to do. Although he was unable to do any of that now, he was completely dependant on Jack, and the rest of them. Until they fixed it, hopefully later on today.
Eventually Jack got his breath back and sat up. The aerobics routine had finished on the screen. Ianto was still putting Barney through his routine, making him do some sit-ups. Jack smiled.
"I think you're sending your Uncle Jack a little bit mad!" He leant forward and kissed Ianto squarely on the top of his head, it made him giggle. "Right, you stay there, I'll go and find something for breakfast."
Jack got up, ruffled Ianto's hair and walked out, aiming for the kitchen, leaving Ianto playing with Barney. As he reached the hallway he paused, blinking in shock. Had he really just referred to himself as 'Uncle Jack'? Even over the last two days, everyone had got far too comfortable in dealing with Ianto in his infant state. Including himself. He took a deep breath and shook his head. Before he could make it to the kitchen there was a sharp knock at the door.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Gwen hesitated slightly as she stood at Ianto's door. She didn't know why she felt nervous, well perhaps a little. Being nosy wasn't exactly something that induced mind blowing terror but she didn't want Jack to think she was… interfering or…
"Oh for God's sake," she muttered and knocked on the door.
For a moment there was silence. She knew Jack was still here, the SUV in the car park left a rather clear hint. Rhys had frowned a little when he had dropped her off that morning. She had left her own car at Torchwood having been dropped off yesterday. But like so many other times Rhys didn't comment. He just frowned, looked at her for a long time and then accepted.
Gwen was almost going to knock again when Jack opened the door. She looked him up and down, he was dressed as he usually was, the clothes impeccably cleaned and ironed. Gwen wondered if it had been Ianto or Jack who had done it.
"Hi," Jack said sounding a little confused. Gwen smiled and held up a bag of shopping.
"I didn't know if you had anything in for breakfast. Rhys dropped me off."
"Oh," Jack seemed to literally shake the confusion off and he smiled. "Come in."
He stepped back from the door and Gwen sidled past him. She paused in the hallway and Jack saw her eyes scan the décor.
"Is Ianto all right?" she asked. Jack nodded in the direction of the lounge.
"He's in there watching television and making Barney do his aerobics." Jack grinned at the confusion on her face. Jack took the bag off her and he went past her to the kitchen. Gwen went into the lounge. Ianto was still on the floor and Barney was now doing star jumps. Gwen smiled at him.
"Hi Ianto."
He jumped a little and looked round at her. Barney ceased jumping about and Ianto pulled the bear onto his lap.
"Hello," he replied. And to Gwen he suddenly sounded very guarded.
"I brought some breakfast for you and Jack."
Ianto smiled but still his eyes stayed wary. Gwen smiled and backed out of the room. It oddly occurred to her that Ianto had always seemed a little like that. But she hadn't paid it much heed. He appeared to be a bit like that with everyone, but now she started to realise it was more obvious with her than with everyone else. She went into the kitchen, to find Jack rummaging around in the bag.
"Oohh waffles," Jack said pulling the packet out of the bag. Then he looked at the syrup, and the pancake mix she had also brought. "Why is that so many foods seemed designed to make a three year old sticky?"
Gwen grimaced, "I didn't think about that."
Jack grinned. "It doesn't matter, it is the reason I haven't bothered to dress him yet, I'll do that after breakfast. Should be another fun experience."
"I can help you know," Gwen said. Jack looked at her steadily.
"If Ianto remembers this, I do not think that he will appreciate knowing that his female colleagues have seen him in such a state. At least with me it will be a little easier for him."
"Well, Rhys helped him as well, he had to."
"Which again is different," Jack said. "Besides, Rhys is male and Ianto doesn't exactly see him very often. No Gwen, it will be easier in the long run."
"In the long run, if this has a long run, you may have to rethink it."
Jack glared at her, she shrugged, opening the pancake mix packet up so she didn't have to meet his eyes.
"It's not going to have a long run, I've tested the calculations to death, Tosh and Owen have done the same with the machine and we'll make sure it's thoroughly tested before we use it on him."
He could see Gwen looking slightly doubtful, but they didn't get a chance to say anymore as from the living room Ianto howled. Gwen dropped the packet in shock and turned to follow Jack as he sprinted from the kitchen into the living room.
Ianto was sat on the floor, cradling his right arm. His forearm was marked by four, deep scratches that were dripping blood onto his pyjamas and the cushion.
"Shit!" Jack said. He glanced at Brad who was on the sofa, watching carefully. Jack ignored him, he went to Ianto crouching next to him. Gwen looked at Ianto, who was crying loudly and then at Brad, who arched his back and flexed his claws. However the cat gave an outraged yowl as Gwen shunted him off the sofa, pushing him off with her foot. Brad turned on her and hissed. Gwen stamped her foot in his direction.
"Go away," she snapped at the cat. She moved to kick him again and Brad decided it was obviously best to beat a retreat and he shot out of the room. Gwen turned back to them. Jack had pulled Ianto on his lap and was examining the claw marks while at the same time he comforted him. He cuddled Ianto close and kissed him on the top of his head.
"All right, it's okay Ianto," Jack murmured soothingly. Ianto carried on crying, huge tears rolling down his face, but he rested his head on Jack's chest, leaning against him. Carefully Jack picked him up.
"Let's get him in the kitchen. It will be easier to clean up any mess in there."
Gwen felt slightly disconcerted as she watched Jack pick Ianto up. He carefully cradled Ianto in his arms and carried him out. There was an odd level of comfortableness between them. She probably wouldn't have spotted it, or she hadn't seen it, prior to this. It was something she hadn't really thought about.
She didn't honestly think that Jack played favourites with them, not consciously anyway. But she had always felt that she and Jack had some sort of connection. That went beyond them simply working together. Jack and Ianto had been so subtle with each other that their connection was hardly seen. Until now. Jack couldn't hide it now Ianto was so vulnerable. He was living, temporarily, in an age that needed to see it. And it occurred to her as well, as she hurried to follow them, that she was the only one bothered by it. Owen and Toshiko, had probably been aware of it, and it didn't bother them.
And she knew Jack and Ianto were in a relationship. But she thought that had just been mainly physical. What had changed? She wondered.
Jack was rummaging in a drawer when she followed him in and he pulled out a clean tea towel. Sitting down on one of the chairs, with Ianto cradled to him, he started to dab at the wounds.
"Does he have a first aid kit?" Gwen asked.
"Bathroom, in the cupboard by the sink, bottom shelf on the left. It should have anti-septic wipes, and dressings in it," Jack said, his voice a little distracted, but his instructions held the accuracy of someone who knew the flat from top to bottom. Gwen turned and ran up the stairs. Brad shot off into the bedroom, obviously not keen on getting another boot up the arse. She opened the cupboard and found the kit, bringing it back down into the kitchen.
Ianto was still tucked up on Jack's lap, his cries reduced to sniffles, looking up at Jack with rueful eyes. Jack had known exactly what had happened. As soon as Gwen had left the room he had looked down at Ianto.
"Did you try and pick Brad up?" he had asked gently. Ianto's crying had intensified a little but he had nodded.
"Brad didn't like it did he?"
Ianto shook his head burying his face in Jack's chest. He was going to have to change his shirt, he just hoped he didn't have blood on his trousers. Maybe he could get Gwen to iron, he thought hopefully. He heard her feet coming back down the stairs. Ianto snuggled against him tightly.
"It's all right," Jack said. "Does it hurt?"
"Uh-huh," Ianto sniffled. Jack, having cleaned off as much blood as possible looked at the scratches frowning a little. They were deep, Brad had really meant to do damage. Jack felt an overwhelming urge to break Brad's neck, but that wouldn't solve anything. Ianto had always treated the cat with a careful level of respect. Surely he would have had enough presence of mind remaining to be aware of that. Jack glanced up as he watched Gwen gather up several wipes from the first aid kit, she opened the first one and then crouched down in front of them. Ianto protested a little as she gently took his hand. Jack watched her, feeling the tension in Ianto. He usually couldn't hide his feelings completely and Jack felt a sliver of something more. Ianto had always been wary around Gwen, and a little jealous, and she had been in the kitchen with him when Brad had attacked.
Jack clenched his jaw. He didn't want to believe that it had been done deliberately but it meant his attention had snapped to Ianto immediately.
"It's all right," she said gently. Very carefully she started to clean the wounds. The blood was still flowing but not as dramatically. However Gwen winced as she looked at them.
"Owen had better look at these when we get in," she commented. Jack nodded and ran his hand through Ianto's hair. Ianto sniffed again, watching Gwen carefully while he huddled into Jack.
Then again, like he had already thought, Ianto's behaviour had been less subtle as a child. Although Ianto was not stupid enough to do serious damage to himself, Jack had not trusted him for a long while after Lisa, keeping a close eye on him. Ianto had a streak of self-destructive behaviour. Gwen had paused what she was doing, holding the wipe against Ianto's arm and applying pressure, raising it as First Aid required. Jack looked at her and she frowned in confusion. Jack shook his head. It was not something he was about to disclose to her. Gwen went back to what she was doing.
She went through five wipes cleaning up his arm. The scratches were still seeping, they ran from his elbow almost to his wrist. Gwen started rummaging to find a dressing large enough to cover it. In the end she was forced to use two to cover the scratches. Very carefully she put them on and fixed them in place, winding some gauze around his arm to hold it on. She fixed it with tape and then looked up at him. He had stopped crying but he was curled up against Jack, his face a little blotchy and his lower lip was still trembling. Once Gwen released his hand he cradled his arm to his chest.
"Does it still hurt?" Jack asked him. Ianto whimpered and nodded, still looking very sorrowful. "You'll be okay," Jack added, rocking him gently. It obviously soothed Ianto because he cuddled up closer to Jack. Jack looked down at him, seeing the drops of blood on his pyjamas. He looked up at Gwen.
"I'll get him dressed now, I don't want him sitting in blood stained pyjamas," Jack said, then smirked. "Do you mind starting breakfast?"