A/N: Just a short chapter to keep you going; more soon, I promise! Thanks for reading!
Ianto let himself into his flat and collapsed against the door, the suit jacket in his hand falling to the floor, already forgotten. He couldn't remember much about the journey home, which he knew should alarm him, but he was far too preoccupied trying not to think about Alex to worry about that.
And of course trying not to think about something meant he could think of nothing else.
He'd never expected his sessions with Alex to ever include anything like what had just happened; mostly because that rule had been established upon their very first meeting, but also because Ianto himself had never wanted to connect his need to anything sexual.
It was a line he hadn't been willing to even consider crossing, and yet he'd just allowed it to happen.
Ianto drew in a deep breath, mentally pushing aside the incident as he reached for his mask of control. He marvelled at how easy it was to find this time. For the past month or so he'd fallen into a routine with Alex and it had been getting harder to leave his secret behind when he stepped outside the playroom. Now, however, it was as though the incident was just too much for him to fully take in and that somehow made it easier to pretend that it hadn't happened.
Ianto closed his eyes, chin dropping to his chest, and he rested a moment longer to let his mind settle before heading for his usual post-session shower; during which, he hoped, the matter would be completely expunged from his thoughts. He wanted to be fully in command of himself when he headed back to the Hub in a few hours time and faced Jack, knowing he'd spent the night at Gwen's side, sharing his secrets with her.
There came a sound, the muffled noise of movement over carpet, and Ianto's eyes snapped open to find Jack standing before him, coatless, shoeless, his head cocked to the side and a faint smile on his lips.
"Hard day at work, dear?"
Ianto blinked and straightened quickly, hoping the surprise didn't show on his face. It wasn't as though Jack had never let himself into Ianto's home before – despite the fact Ianto had never officially given him a key – and he really had no cause to be alarmed by the other man's presence. He managed a sympathetic smile in response, knowing that Jack's humour was only a cover for the pain he was feeling.
"My boss is a slave-driver," he said, glad to find the wit there when he called for it. "It's a wonder I'm still standing."
"The cad," Jack replied, his grin widening until it almost reached his eyes.
Ianto noticed the change, realising belatedly that the smile hadn't been anywhere near Jack's eyes before. He stepped forward, dropping his keys onto the nearest surface and pulled the other man into an embrace, sadness descending upon him as Jack buried his face in his neck.
"Are you all right?" he asked softly.
"I sat with her for hours," Jack replied in a low voice, "then I couldn't sit there any longer. Owen's watching over her now."
"You would have regretted it if you hadn't gone."
Jack sighed. "I know."
"We'll find a cure. No matter how long it takes we'll find it and then you can have her back, just the way she is now." As he spoke, Ianto felt the sadness twisting into unexpected bitterness. Even if it were to take them years to heal Gwen, she'd be revived exactly as she was the day they froze her; young, healthy and grateful for the second chance at life. But where would Ianto be then? Old? Out of the picture? Dead?
He rested his head against Jack's, hands rubbing circles on his back, and pushed aside the unwanted and traitorous thoughts. Jack turned away from his neck, capturing his lips softly.
Ianto returned the kiss for a few minutes before pulling back. "Jack..." he began, only to trail off when he realised he didn't know what he wanted to say.
"I feel like I haven't seen you all week," the Captain murmured, pressing his lips to the skin just below Ianto's ear.
The young man tensed. Alex had kissed the other side of his neck, but Ianto was convinced Jack would be able to tell, to taste the guilt upon him and realise what had happened. "It's been a tough few days," Ianto replied, taking hold of Jack's head and luring him away with another kiss.
Jack turned willingly in his hold, grasping the younger man tightly and trying to devour him with obvious need. Ianto moaned at the sudden desperate passion, aching for his lover, wishing dearly to take away his pain.
A hand stroked along Ianto's neck, down over his Adam's apple onto his chest and quickly loosened his tie. So quick, in fact, that by the time Ianto's brain caught up with what was about to happen, Jack had already tugged his shirt halfway open.
The Captain leaned back, hungry eyes following the movement of his fingers, but then he froze, the smile fading from his lips. "What's this?" he asked, brow creasing in confusion. His fingers moved upwards again, over the sharp red lines visible beneath Ianto's parted collar.
Before Ianto could reply, Jack yanked his shirt the rest of the way open, one button popping off and dropping forlornly to the floor. Ianto's eyes automatically followed to see where it landed, making no move to try and hide his chest from Jack. He knew without a doubt it would be pointless to even attempt it, for the Captain rarely accepted not getting an answer, and he was certainly not going to ignore such deep scratches.
"It's...uh..." Ianto stopped and grimaced; if he could hear the guilt in his own voice, surely Jack could too. He swallowed and started again. "All this talk of rashes has given me phantom itches as well." He took hold of Jack's hands, moving them away from his chest. "It's stupid, but I can't stop myself."
"They're bleeding."
"They were bleeding. I got a bit carried away, that's all. They'll heal soon enough."
Jack stared at the scratches until Ianto pulled his shirt over them. The Welshman smiled gently when Jack looked up. "It's nothing," he said. "Forget about them." He leaned in, once more distracting his lover with a kiss, giving it his full attention until they were both gasping for breath.
"Ianto," Jack said, gaze flickering across his features, trying to take them all in at once. Ianto recognised the emotion in his eyes, the illogical fear that being so close to losing Gwen meant he would lose the others around him as well.
His chest tightening, Ianto grabbed Jack's hands again, pulling on them to make the older man follow as he walked backwards towards the bedroom, eyes locked with Jack's the entire way.
Through the doorway, he kept hold of Jack until the backs of his knees hit the bed (not wanting to give the Captain the chance to turn on a light) and as he fell back onto the duvet, he wrapped his arms around Jack, bringing them both horizontal, already locked in another heated kiss.
Tongues sliding against each another, Jack took control, pinning Ianto's body with his own as the young man let him thoroughly explore his mouth. Jack's breath huffed loudly through his nose, his hands roaming, too quick to actually linger and tease. The need within him was so great that he clearly didn't know what he wanted, only that he wanted it right away.
When questing fingers slid beneath Ianto to cup his ass, a sudden terror swept through his body. His backside was burning still, was probably bright red as well, and he was sure Jack would be able to feel the heat, even through the material of his trousers. Ianto rolled them over with a surge of energy, turning the focus away from himself.
He made swift work of opening Jack's shirt, then pushed up the white t-shirt beneath to expose his chest. Jack groaned as Ianto swept his lips over his skin, pausing to bite gently at his nipples, hands rubbing along his sides and down to his belt. The leather vanished and his trousers followed soon after, and then Ianto had his fingers in the bulging underwear, pulling out Jack's cock and sliding his mouth over it without any warning.
Jack bucked up into the wet heat, gasping, and Ianto smiled inwardly, always happy when he managed to elicit such a reaction from his immortal lover. He set a steady but strong pace, determined to keep Jack from even thinking about doing anything but lie back and enjoy himself.
"Ianto!" Jack growled, his hands clenching in the other man's hair as Ianto swallowed around his cock.
Ianto chuckled, sending vibrations through the solid flesh and moved his lips upwards, flicking the tip of his tongue over the leaking head before plunging down again. Jack's hips moved beneath his hands, trying to thrust forward, but Ianto held him still as he bobbed up and down, hollowing his cheeks and sucking even harder.
Jack's body tensed abruptly and warmth flooded Ianto's mouth, a cry of pleasure filling the darkened room. Ianto swallowed, lapping the softening cock clean before moving up for a lazy kiss.
Jack smiled at his own taste, but when he pulled back to speak, Ianto silenced him with another quick peck to his lips. "Ssh," the young man whispered. "Sleep." He gathered Jack in his arms and prayed he would be tired enough from the stress of the week to give in and allow himself to rest. Ianto needed to shower, to wash away Alex's scent before he allowed Jack to fully lose himself in his body, and he could only do that if Jack was asleep and thus unable to question his actions.
The Captain frowned at him, his expression barely visible in the light from the hallway, but after a few minutes of gentle words and even gentler kissing, he finally slipped into a doze just deep enough to allow Ianto to extract himself from their tangled limbs and make his escape into the bathroom.