II.
It was a month later when Ianto encountered the hat again. Jack had kept it out of the box, placing it in a clear position of pride on a hook by his desk. Ianto imagined Jack glancing at it often, even running his fingers along the brim, given his reaction when he'd seen it again. Jack had been so glad to see the hat, he had even offered to take Ianto out to dinner as a thank you. Ianto had of course turned him down; it was one thing to occasionally share a meal with Jack at work, but quite another to have dinner with his flirtatious boss when it almost sounded like a date.
Which was completely wrong, Ianto knew. Jack flirted with everyone in Cardiff, had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with everyone on the team. It was only Ianto's overactive mind imagining the suggestion to be anything more than an expression of gratitude. That and the fact that he hadn't been on a date in months, not with all his hopes and dreams locked up in the basement, desperate to be healed. Ianto wanted nothing more than a dinner at a nice restaurant…with his girlfriend, free of wires and metal. Not his boss. Right?
Pondering the increasingly complicated answer to that question as he searched for some files on Jack's desk, Ianto found himself almost mesmerized by the hat, remembering it perched precariously on Jack's head, wondering what it would feel like on his own. Ianto had never identified with any particular clothing kinks, but was starting to wonder about it now. He hadn't been dropping a line when he'd first met Jack in the park; he loved Jack's greatcoat and how larger-than-life and heroic it made the captain appear to the world. He knew now, after several months at the Hub, that there was more to Jack, but he still appreciated the image. It wasn't that much unlike the suits Ianto wore, a set of armor against the world, a way to project confidence he didn't feel and hide the fear and anxiety that sat like a stone in his gut. He wondered if Jack used the coat the same way, suspected he did. Maybe it was one reason they worked well together. Flirted so much.
Reaching out toward the hat, Ianto ran a finger along the brim, so lost in thought he didn't hear anyone come into the office until Jack cleared his throat behind him. Whirling around, he found his boss grinning behind him, arms crossed over his chest and a literal twinkle in his eye.
"So not just the coat, but the hat too," Jack said.
"Purely academic," Ianto offered, clearing his throat when his words came out dry and croaked. Jack's grin, if possible, grew wider.
"Right," he drawled, moving closer, a bit like a panther stalking its prey. "Your grandfather had one."
"He did. Just the hat, no greatcoat." Ianto stared at Jack a moment too long, then abruptly moved away toward the door, grabbing a set of files he saw on the desk and hoping they were the right ones. "My apologies for disturbing you, I had intended to do some filing."
"But you got distracted," Jack teased. Ianto sighed and tried to speak, though he was at a loss for words and only nodded, his feet stuck just before the doorway.
"Come here," said Jack, his voice firm.
"Sir?" asked Ianto. Jack moved around his desk and took down the hat.
"Come. Here."
Ianto hesitated, glancing over his shoulder into the Hub. Jack's shark grin appeared.
"Everyone's gone home except you again," Jack told him, his voice dropping almost seductively. Ianto shook his head of the very thought of Jack trying to seduce him. And with a hat, of all things! Of course not. And he wasn't interested.
"I should probably be going as well then," Ianto replied. He realized too late that he'd dropped the 'sir', leaving Jack a huge opening with his lack of formality.
"Not yet," said Jack. "Indulge me for a moment."
Again Ianto dropped the formality, this time out of desperation. "Jack, I need to—"
"You need to put this on," Jack said, holding out the hat. "Get it out of your system."
Ianto felt his eyes widen in disbelief. "I don't need to get anything out of my system!"
Jack took a step closer. He raised the hat, but stopped just shy of putting it on Ianto's head. "Turn around," he murmured.
"Why?" asked Ianto, even though it was perfectly obvious. Jack shook his head with a laugh and turned Ianto around so he was facing the window of Jack's office. And then he placed the RAF hat on Ianto's head, adjusting it before Ianto felt him step back.
He gazed at himself in the glass, tilting his head and unable to resist smiling. It was nice, but it wasn't really him. His grandfather had owned such a hat, and Ianto had loved it when he'd brought it out to tell stories, perching it on Ianto's head while he talked. It was the memories of his grandfather that entranced him more than the thought of wearing the hat himself. Stories of serving, of fighting, of what the hat meant to his grandfather and represented to others: honor, bravery, sacrifice. And if truth be told, how all of that related to Jack.
Jack stood behind him, arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face. He was teasing, but Ianto thought he saw gentle affection there as well. If he'd been looking for anything else…and of course he wasn't…he set it aside and took the hat from his head. He thought about placing it on Jack's head but decided the moment was already strangely intimate enough, so he simply held it out.
"It's more your style, sir," he said softly. Jack raised an eyebrow and dropped it on his own head, setting it once again at a rakish angle. Ianto couldn't help but smile and nod.
"You like it," Jack murmured. Ianto tried to shrug it off.
"It suits you," Ianto said. "Fits you well." Jack took it off and twirled it a few times.
"I should hope so," he said. "I had it custom made in St. James. Tranter the Hatter."
Ianto filed away the information as something to look up later, to satisfy his curiosity.
"Offer's still on the table for that dinner," Jack said casually, though watching him carefully.
"With the hat?" Ianto asked lightly. "Still a bit weird, unless it's actually an alien hat that likes fish and chips. I don't think anyone in Cardiff would bat an eye at that."
"I like fish and chips," Jack winked. "Come on, are you hungry?"
"Thanks, but I—"
"Should go?" asked Jack. He stepped back. "You should eat first. You don't eat enough. So fish and chips at Mervyns?"
"Jack." Ianto knew he should say no, but then wondered why he was so determined to resist. Because he thought Jack was asking him on a date? Of course he wasn't, the idea was absurd. Because he wanted Jack to ask him on a date? Definitely not, even if being asked would be nice, and an actual date even nicer. Because he felt like having dinner with Jack was betraying Lisa? Maybe. Because the idea of a platonic dinner with Jack was difficult to contemplate when he had non-platonic thoughts about Jack? Oh yes.
But Jack was his boss, looking to share a casual meal after work and nothing more. Besides, Ianto loved Lisa and being attracted to Jack…which he wasn't, hats and coats aside… didn't mean he'd act on it, and it certainly didn't mean he couldn't eat dinner with him. As a coworker.
"Ianto," Jack gently mocked him. He held the hat up to his chin and affected a ridiculously low voice as he wagged it up and down. "Feed me, Ianto. Feed me."
Ianto burst out laughing. "All right, fine! But the hat stays here."
It went back on Jack's head. "You sure about that? I know you have a thing for men in uniform."
Ianto reached out and took it off, hanging it back up and enjoying the look of surprise on Jack's face. "Yes, I'm sure about it, and no, I do not have a thing for men in uniform." He turned and walked toward the door, stopping at the threshold. "But I do love the coat, so you can still wear that."
He left the office for his work station, Jack laughing behind him. He wished he could check on Lisa before leaving, as he wasn't sure he'd be able to come up with a reason to return to the Hub. But he'd seen to her just before entering Jack's office and had made sure she'd enough medication for the night. If he felt guilty for going out while she slept, he put it aside. It was dinner and nothing more. Jack was thanking him for finding the hat, and Ianto was quite glad that he had.
Author's Note:
Many thanks to Avaantares, who shared a lovely drawing of Ianto trying on the hat, with Jack standing behind him. It got me going again and I hope you enjoyed this scene!
