AN UNACCEPTABLE TRAGEDY

Humor, Fluff

Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper

Words: 1189

Ianto discovers something about Jack that he just can't accept. Fortunately, he can do something about that.

...

Gwen could hear Ianto's disbelieving, irritated voice even before she entered Jack's office. For a second, she hesitated at the door - Ianto fighting with Jack wasn't something that happened often (at least not with the rest of the team around). And it was not necessarily something she'd wanted to get in the middle of. Short glance at the files in her hands. Deep breath. She opened the door and entered the office.

"No, wait - what do you mean, 'never'?!"

"Well..."

"You mean... not once in your immortal life, you have...?"

"Um... no... not yet... didn't get around to it, somehow."

"I can't believe it. I'm not believing this! You can't be serious!"

"Huh - is that a problem?"

"You're asking - you're asking if that is a problem, Jack?!"

Gwen cleared her throat. "Boys!"

The two men stopped in their movements. Ianto, who'd stood with his back to Gwen, stiffened and slowly turned around. Gwen raised an eyebrow and bit her lip to withold herself from giggling. Ianto's shirt was halfway unbuttoned, revealing his bare chest, and his tie hang loosely around his neck.

While the welsh man hastily started to clear himself up, Jack walked around his desk and Gwen could see that his belt was undone. Just as if the pair of them originally had been up to something other than fighting. Shame I didn't walk in to that.

"Yeah, what's up, Gwen?", Jack asked, sounding somewhat relieved.

Gwen blinked to get her mind clear. "Ah, yes!" She held up the files in her hand. "Um, I got through those files you gave me. Just what I thought. The alien device is definitely connected to what happened to those families in 1946."

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but before he was able to do so, Ianto snorted and mumbled in a bitchy voice: "Oh, I bet that took up your time ever since!"

"Ianto!", Jack hissed and narrowed his eyes at the welsh man. Ianto just shrugged and straightened his tie. Jack sighed and turned back to Gwen who was watching the two men wide-eyed.

"Are you two alright?", she asked in a doubtful voice.

The Captain nodded with a quick glance at Ianto. "Yeah. 'Course we are. - Fine, then I think you should pay that old woman a visit after all. Um, Ianto? Would you take care of those files, please?"

The welsh man glared at Jack for a second and growled an irritated "We're not done here!" before walking straight past the Captain and up to Gwen, now with the sweetest smile on his lips. "Come on, Gwen, I'll make you a coffee before you leave."

oOo

"Here you go!" Ianto put a steaming cup of coffee down on Gwen's desk. "Are you done with those files yet?"

"Yeah", the woman responded, handing her co-worker the papers and reaching for her mug. "Mhm, Ianto, that smells wonderful!"

"My pleasure." The young man smiled and turned away to leave, but Gwen grabbed his arm and held him back. "Hey! You and Jack, are you alright?"

Ianto frowned. He couldn't discuss this with her. She wouldn't understand, would she?

"It's just... we rarely ever see you two fight, so...", Gwen continued hesitantly.

Ianto responded with a deep sigh, raising his eyes to Jack's office. He felt that he should say something. "Oh, you know... Jack always says that he's seen it all. I don't even know where to start about that..."

oOo

Jack's gaze was focused on Ianto - who on the other hand didn't deign a look at him while driving home to their flat. It had been a long day at work, and not necessarily because of that freaky alien device they'd found. This just wasn't quite what the Captain had had in mind when proposing a movie night earlier that day. But how would I know that something like- well, okay, it's Ianto. I should have known.

They arrived at the flat - still in silence - and Jack had barely time to get out of his coat before a sulky Ianto already pushed him down to sit on the sofa and then went over to his sacred DVD cabinet. The welsh man found the movie he was looking for after one short glance, turned on the TV and carefully inserted the disc in the player. Just then, he took off his own overcoat and suit jacket, loosened his tie and made himself comfy on the sofa next to Jack. The Captain bit his lip, hesitantly snuggling up closer to his lover, and happy as Ianto cracked a short smile and put his arm around him before pressing Play.

Jack couldn't help but grin as he peeked over to the man next to him whose eyes suddenly were locked on the screen with a focus as if the world depended on it. He pressed a kiss on Ianto's cheek and said: "You're cute, you know that?"

Ianto, of course, was having none of the Captain's banter. "Shh, pay attention", he hissed instead, but with an excited sparkle gleaming in his eyes.

Jack chuckled. "You sound as if you wanna test me afterwards!"

"Well..." For a brief moment, his lover's attention shifted and he looked away from the screen to eye the older man up, a mischievous grin on his lips. "Maybe I will. So you better watch closely."

oOo

It turned out to become a wonderful evening after all. Jack realised quickly that he didn't need Ianto's motivation to pay attention. The movie was beautiful. Every now and then, Ianto would lean in to share a small tidbit of trivia, his face dreamy in his rapture. And Jack, who barely ever cried at movies, couldn't help it with this one; suddenly, there were tears in his eyes - but Ianto pulled him in closer, and they cuddled up together, holding each other.

After the movie had ended, they stayed like this for a while, just quietly enjoying the other's very presence.

Jack was the one to break the silence, a small smile on his lips. "You still mad at me, Ianto Jones?", he teased.

Ianto shrugged, putting on a pouting face. "Shame's still on you. One does not simply live that long without having seen It's A Wonderful Life! And you! You had the chance to go to the pictures back in '46, you daft, old idiot, and you missed it! Had I had that chance..."

"Mhm, maybe I'll take you some day... "

Ianto laughed and shook his head. "Wanna play around with the Rift, or do you think the Doctor might stop by and lend you the Tardis for a quick trip back in time?"

"Hey, nothing's impossible, not in our line of work!" Jack grinned and beamed at his lover. "You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down!"

Ianto's face lit up even more, and he leaned over to press his lips on Jack's, kissing him long and hard and passionately. Then, slowly pulling away, he locked his eyes with the Captain's, and whispered smiling: "I'll take it."