Chapter 4. Sleeping beauty.
--
'Go to sleep Jack.'
'Ianto, I'm fine, I don't need to sleep.' He sighs to cover the yawn growing inside his lungs.
'Jack, you can't walk straight and you look like a corpse, and believe me this is not a cute metaphor, it's true to the last letter.' Ianto gets slightly annoyed.
'I can't sleep.' He mutters, upset that the man he loves is annoyed at him.
'That's bollocks Jack,' Ianto says heatedly 'your alive, your human, and I don't think death by exhaustion is particularly pleasant.' Jack hangs his head; he wonders why Ianto puts up with him. He decides to be honest.
'I'm scared, grey, the darkness, my memories, this life, it's driving me insane, it would already have succeeded if it wasn't for-' he cuts off abruptly; the man sat with him blushes but says nothing after correctly interpreting this sudden silence.
--
Ianto softens considerably. 'Tell you what, if you promise to sleep, I'll stay, keep an eye on you, and I promise to wake you up if anything happens.' Jack stares at him.
'Really?' Ianto nods, 'you'd do that?' Ianto nods again, meaning it with every fibre of his being. 'Ok' Jack settles down on the sofabed his head in his lovers lap; he closes his eyes and slowly drifts off.
Ianto watches Jacks face relax, his breathing is calm as he sleeps. Ianto feels his throat constrict painfully as the emotion he feels wells up inside him, gulping he stares for a little longer before beginning to play with Jacks hair, the man jumps but Ianto reacts instinctively slowing his movement and making soft soothing noises.
--
About half an hour later his eyes begin to droop, they feel heavy but he keeps his promise. Calling Gwen over the com system for a coffee, he tells her Jack is sleeping.
When she enters the scene before her takes the breath out of her lungs as her heart melts, she realises that she never stood a chance with Captain Jack Harkness.
Ianto is staring down at Jack who is laid in his lap asleep, his hair is tousled and Ianto's fingers are running through it gently. He looks up at her as she offers the coffee she found in the pot, he sips it and smiles before setting it down gently on the floor, Jack stirs as he feels the sudden movement but once again Ianto reacts soothing his captain back into a peaceful slumber. She turns to leave muttering gently for him to call if he wants anything, he nods and she closes the door gently as he returns his attention to Jack.
--
Around ten minutes later Jack starts to groan, quietly, fearfully at first. Ianto tries to sooth him, holding him close, Jack lashes out yelling angrily, Ianto holds on trying to wake Jack up, but nothing works, until when he has finally given up hope Jack jerks awake, scared and shaking but relived to be in Ianto's arms, he shivers recalling the dream.
When Ianto whispers that he is safe and nothing is going to hurt him, he realises how much he loves the man, he begins simultaneously to cry and berate himself for crying but still, he doesn't stop for a long time.
Ianto says nothing, he knows Jack needs this, he offers a comforting word or wipes a tear but other than that he stays silent.
--
They sit there rocking gently. When Jack tenses and jumps up to a standing position and begins wreaking the room, Ianto watches wondering why he is acting this way. Ianto touches Jack's shoulder before ducking to avoid the arm that would have connected with his head. Jack looks surprised to see Ianto. Ianto stands there staring before Jack whispers something, Ianto looks confused so Jack raises his voice. 'Where's grey?' Ianto wonders if this is something to do with the nightmare the captain just experienced but he calls over the coms anyway without question. Gwen answers that the captain's brother is in the tunnel. He asks her to fetch grey, she grumbles but complies.
--
The door flies open crashing into the glass and vibrating loudly, grey stands in the doorway, Jack spots grey, he yells, 'YOU!' pointing at his brother angrily, he limps towards Grey. Ianto receives a questioning look from grey, he shrugs. Jack watches this exchange.
'I TRUSTED YOU!' he yells at a puzzled Ianto. 'You said you were getting grey, instead you bring him, so what? So he can lay into me? Tell me I don't deserve to live? That my biological father was hanged? That I'm the result of a rapist and my mother? How he raised me as his own? How if I tell anyone what he does, what he lets them do, he'll kill me? How I'll never escape what my father was? How I'll be lucky to be a male prostitute when I'm older!' he is yelling again, fresh tears stream down his sodden face, his brother looks ashen but approaches Jack, his hand outstretched.
--
Jack's mood changes again, this time he is scared and backing away, pleading to be left alone, he flinches when grey's hand touches him, grey freezes when Jack gasps. 'Grey?' he nods. Jack stands up, grabbing greys hand he looks at his brother's face, it portrays anger and fear. 'But you were the favourite.' Grey says quietly and surprise crosses his features as Jack shakes his head. So he asks.
'It's not, he didn't really do that, you're ...' he tails off his voice pleading for some kind of honest denial of the truth. 'John,' he mutters as Jack shoots him a warning glance before nodding.
'It's all true.'
--
Grey flips, 'oh Jack, that git, HOW could he REALLY?! Over something you can't even change, I hate him, I HATE HIM!!' Jack stares at grey, Ianto feels like an intruder, wanting to leave but afraid to leave his captain in such a vulnerable position. Jack's face softens and he puts his hand on grey's shoulder, looking into his brother's eyes, 'grey, I forgave Franklin a long time ago, so please, I'm asking you, let it go?'
Grey can't form the words, his mouth feels like cotton.
'Grey, he's your dad, I won't let you forget that, ever.'
A tear falls for his brothers lost childhood but he thinks that the least he can give Jack is this. He nods.
Grey looks at Jack who's head tips forward as he falls into Ianto's adrenalin pumped arms.
--
reviews appreciated.