Disclaimer: Okay, honestly. If I owned Jack, Ianto, or anyone from Torchwood, would I really have to write fanfiction to give them the bloody date I wanted them to have? No. So it's kind of obvious that I don't own, so don't sue. xoxo.
Rating: T.
Acknowledgements: Simon, thank you for letting Jack yell at you. And, I had this perfect way to describe you all set out, but it ran away when I attempted to write it... Sorry. Also, all of you guys for reading this. Seriously. You're totally faithful and I love it. Thank you for making me feel like all the frustration I put myself through from time to time is worth it. This is my baby. It really is. And I'm, like, the proudest mother on the planet right now. I know it's not the most popular Janto fic out there. It's not especially good, and it's not so bad it's epic. But this is my most popular fic, and therefore, I feel like it's the most amazing thing in the world.
Note: Oh my God. This is inexcusably late. And I hate myself for it. But I haven't had the most time in the world to work on it because I just started a job and I'm getting hours left and right. So, please be patient with me as I attempt to balance my creative life with my professional life. Time wasn't the only constraint. I literally wrote this ten times and hated it every time. So now I have it at a place where I'm content and I hope you are too. I also apologize for lack of length. Like I said; it took forever to get it to where I actually liked it, and once I was happy, I didn't want to chance much more and screw it up.
A strong arm wrapped affectionately around his shoulders, Ianto nestled closer to Jack as the movie wore on. He had planted his head in a comfortable spot on Jack's chest and weaved his arm behind the immortal's back, stroking his side gently. Their hands travelled blindly to find one another, fingers weaving together once they were finally united.
Ianto had to laugh at how they must look to other people in the cinema. Then he wondered how many people actually cared that there were two men cuddling after a snog in a screening room. Surely it was normal when a man and a woman did it, but two men was still a bit shocking to some people.
It wasn't that Ianto was insecure. More that he was just incredibly conscious of what others thought. And unlike Jack, who didn't care what people thought or knew, Ianto couldn't help but feel just a little awkward when there were people staring or whispering while stealing the occasional glance.
However, when Jack became aware of any wandering eyes, he would purposely step up the public affection just to get a little bit of a rise out of them.
Jack planted a soft kiss on top of Ianto's forehead. "You fit perfectly..." he murmured, thinking aloud. "So perfectly..."
That happens when two people are made for each other, Ianto thought, smile curling on his lips as the sentence ran through his mind. He didn't dare vocalise it, but in his own slightly convoluted reality, he knew Jack was thinking it, too.
Soon thereafter, the screen blacked out and the credits began to roll. Everyone around them got up and started to make their way out of the room, but Jack wasn't ready to let go of Ianto just yet. Ianto didn't seem to mind, either, and nuzzled a little closer as they were being left alone.
Five minutes passed. Six. Seven. Ten minutes of nothing but cuddling close together and gentle little kisses. No words, just actions; tiny affectionate gestures to each other. Jack played a little with some of Ianto's hair. Ianto stroked Jack's hand lightly with his thumb. Every so often, they looked at each other, and their eyes met and locked for what seemed like an eternity as they each got lost in the other's seas.
A voice broke the trance. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but you need to leave."
Jack looked up at the intruder with a vague annoyance spread on his face. "Why's that?" he asked the boy standing in front of him. Even sitting down, Jack was nearly on eye level with him. He was short and slim, with black hair swept over his eyes in a fringe-style haircut. He wore the same outfit as the girl in the lobby, indicating he worked at the cinema, and it appeared he had a few piercings that his job had required him to remove.
"We're starting another show in just a few moments, that's all."
Jack rolled his eyes, moving away from Ianto. "I know what this is about," he mumbled.
The short boy raised an eyebrow as the Captain moved to stand. "Look," he said, "I don't care what you guys do in b—"
Jack was on his feet and began to ramble, but Ianto grabbed his hand and pulled.
"Jack, stop before you make yourself look like a jerk..."
But, of course, he didn't, and the cinema boy got the brunt of Jack's irritation. Somewhere along the line, Ianto became fed up and left the screen room, making his way quietly out the doors that led to the brightly lit hall.
He'd never been more embarrassed in his life. Everything was fine until Jack had to go and take something the wrong way. Why had he even thought that it would go off without a hitch, that they would just sail through the evening on a magic carpet, watch fireworks in Beijing, and be back with time to spare?
Ianto sighed, making his way to the lobby. He sat on an uncomfortable metal bench and contemplated leaving the cinema, abandoning Jack to sweat it out until he saw him in the Hub the next morning, coffee in hand.
He stopped for a moment to think. Rationality told him there was no reason to do that. The rest of the night had been fantastic. The best night he'd had with anyone since Lisa, actually. And it wasn't like there hadn't been roadblocks along the night, either. There was that bit on the bike, the part with the waiter... What was another speed bump, he wondered? It hadn't changed the fact that Jack wanted to be seen in public with him, and that was more than enough.
He looked up to see Jack standing in the lobby, looking around with a semi-distraught look on his face. He began to mumble to himself and put his hand on the side of his head, scratching at his scalp nervously.
Ianto sighed, shaking his head as he got up and made his way to Jack. He wanted more than anything to ask him what the hell his problem was, but he let it go. He could see in Jack's eyes that there wasn't anything to discuss about the situation, anyway. He knew he'd fouled something up.
That was enough for Ianto, who only sent him a small, endearing smile and held out his hand. "What next?" he asked softly, the little smile still fixed on his lips. Jack gazed at him, confusion spreading on his face as he attempted to understand why Ianto hadn't slapped him in the face. Nevertheless, his hand went to Ianto's, rough, calloused fingers grazing the softer and more supple set.
Jack smiled, losing himself in the seas that were Ianto's eyes. His fingers lay lightly on the other's, and Jack found that he was absent-mindedly fondling Ianto's hands, feeling every crevice, crease, and ridge of his fingerprints. Ianto looked back up at him and found it extremely difficult to look away. Even blinking every so often (so he didn't get that chronic dry-eye Rhiannon was always on about) was difficult, because blinking meant cutting off that beautiful, unspoken connection between himself and Jack.
Jack dropped Ianto's hand gently and smiled again before asking if Ianto was ready to go home. Ianto wasn't sure how to answer that; he most certainly didn't want the night to end, but knew it had to because they both had work the next day. So he nodded, but not before saying that this had been the best night he'd had in a while.
Since Lisa... he added in the back of his mind.
Jack grinned and put his hand on Ianto's back again, pushing gently in lead out the door. He walked to the kerb and found that the bike was no longer there. "You gotta be kidding," he mumbled, staring at the empty spot where he knew he parked it. "Someone stole it."
"You left the keys in the ignition, didn't you."
Jack blinked. "Fuck. Yes, I did."
Ianto looked at him in disbelief for a second, before breaking into a fit of laughter. Jack wasn't amused, failed to see the humour in the event, and stared at him with an eyebrow raised. "And what is just so funny about that?"
"Because," Ianto blurted in the midst of his giggles, "minus the perfect choice of movie and the cuddling in the cinema..." He paused to laugh again, so hard tears began to spill from his eyes and roll down the apples of his cheeks. "This date has been an absolute disaster."
This only seemed to irk Jack even more, and Ianto knew that. He advanced toward him slightly and put his hands on Jack's shoulders, trying to quell his laughter. "Even though it was a disaster, what with the hard-on I had on the motorbike, and the waiter flirting with me throughout most of dinner, and the fight you had with the cinema boy that was so embarrassing that I just had to leave the room, and now the fact that the bike is clearly missing... This has still been the best night of my life." He stopped to laugh again, this time watching Jack's face go from irritated, to confused, to absolutely dumbfounded. And soon, Jack's dumb expression cracked and he started to laugh, too.
"I don't know what it says for your social life that this is the best night you've ever had," Jack managed to get out.
Ianto only laughed harder. "I'm not entirely sure, myself."
They laughed together wordlessly for a few minutes, and they were both sure that the people walking around late at night thought they were a couple of crazy people, but neither of them cared. They just laughed about the awful turn of events that had occurred that night. But they both knew they weren't going to change it for the world.
Finally, Ianto's laughter died down as he let out a sigh and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Should we get going?" he asked with a cock of his head.
"How. Taxis don't run this late, Ianto."
"You have legs. I know. I've seen them. So c'mon. We'll walk home."
"Walking Cardiff at night is dangerous, Ianto."
"Please. Our line of work is scarier than the Cardiff night life. C'mon. Let's walk home. Let's be afraid. And enjoy every second of it. Besides, I'm sure you've seen more frightening things than drunk people stumbling around in the streets because Friday night is party night."
Ianto gave him this look. The look Jack could never say no to, so he sighed and smiled, putting his arm tightly around Ianto's shoulder. "But you've got so far to go. You live at least ten miles away."
Ianto shrugged and put his arm around Jack's waist, pulling him south, away from his flat.
He was fancying a walk in the park tonight.