Personal Space
What happened to the lovesick Vampire?
He became a neck -romancer.
For the fourth time in as many days Ianto woke with pins and needles running down his right arm, and the skin of his bicep trapped just under Jacks chest. The need to pee was paramount and he extricated himself delicately from Jack's side, and stumbled on a numb leg across the room.
Getting back into bed he finds Jack has moved and his elbow is now in Ianto's space. The man who needs little sleep sure takes up space.
He sighs and looks at his watch on the bedside table. 5.45 am. Coffee seems the only solution.
Later that day Ianto gratefully closes the door to his flat; he has, with a little regret turned down Jack's offer for that night in favour of his nice big comfy bed, and catching up on his shut eye. (Rift permitting.)
Within half an hour he is sat at the kitchen table, washing machine murmuring in the background, and Chris Evans on The One Show nattering excitedly on the flip down TV. Ianto turns the TV to mute, folds The Times to the cryptic crossword, picks up his pencil in one hand and sips coffee with the other. Aliens, extrovert lovers and snarky, huggy team mates fade into the background. Ianto relishes the unaccustomed peace.
A couple of hours later he is in the bathroom. He decides to shower then relax in a nice deep bath (Tosh has taught him Japanese ways of cleanliness). It has been so long since he has used the bathroom though that the only remotely soapy stuff he has is a bar of Lemslip from Lush. A Christmas present from Rhiannon. He thinks it will be too effeminate, but it really just smells of lemon, and he can't help thinking Jack will appreciate how soft it leaves his skin. He has a little moment more of regret, but then remembers he still has the crossword to finish; lack of practice has turned his ten minute record into more like half an hour.
Ianto shaves, and contemplates his sideburns. The little gadget Gwen bought him for Christmas will sort them out. There is another little gadget that came with it, and being in relationship with the perfect Jack Harkness has made him pay attention to areas of his body he had never thought of before. He takes the little trimmer, and gets his face close to the mirror. When his eyes stop watering, and he stops cursing in several languages, he finally slips into a lemslip scented bath.
Alternately sipping coffee and completing the crossword in a hot, comforting bath, Ianto knows he has made the right call. After this he will sleep like a sprayed weevil, leaving him ready to face Jack's bed for a few more days.
He sinks into the comforting coolness of his freshly made bed, pulls up his goose down duvet and sinks into…insomnia.
There is something missing. Where there should be pressure, there is nothing but space. In his head there is a phantom body, heating his, pushing up against him, needing to be shoved back to enable him to have room. Being able to lie spread-eagled across the width of his Kingsize is unsettling. The room is too quiet with only his breathing, the ambient light too bright for his Hub adjusted eyes.
He tosses and turns, switches on the light, after all he isn't missing Jack, it's just that final crossword clue that is keeping him up. He potters out to the living room, fetches his i-pod and the paper, only a little soggy from the steam and settles back against a bank of pillows. About 2 am he starts awake for the third time, switches off the light, and finally drifts off.
Ianto wakes, pins and needles run down his right arm, and his leg is numb from the knee down. He is too hot, and he realises that there is snuffling coming from somewhere behind him. He turns abruptly, pushing himself up on his good arm. When and how did Jack get into his flat and sneak into his bed?
If you enjoy - please review 'cos it really cheers me up! Apologies for the length of time it has taken to get back to this. Lemslip is brilliant for shaving. Not that I admit to anything as unfeminine as leg hair. No sir!