They were finally back in the city, and they made their way to the Hub. Jack had talked to Gwen on his mobile and had her thank Rhys for helping them again and to bid them both good night. He swung by the coffee shop on their way but it was shut down, all lights inside turned off. After glancing at Ianto he changed his mind about going back to the Hub and turned in the direction of Ianto's flat. As he shut off the engine, he looked over at Ianto. Ianto's eyes were closed and as Jack leaned over he could tell the younger man was asleep. Smiling, Jack reached over and gently shook his shoulder.
"Hey sleepy head," he said, watching Ianto's eyes flutter as he woke up. "We're home." Ianto stretched and nodded.
"I guess I'm more tired than I thought," he said, stifling a yawn. He got out of the SUV and followed Jack into the lobby.
"Good evening, Mr. Jones," his elderly neighbor Mrs. Swanson said. She was in her usual perch on a bench in the small vestibule where she could see everything that went on in the building. She looked to be crocheting one of her ubiquitous quilts, her hands flying back and forth as she watched him with a look of horrified fascination. Apparently his appearance was giving her some fodder for gossip, he thought to himself. Jack nodded to the woman but said nothing as he waited for Ianto to check his mailbox.
"Good evening, Mrs. Swanson," Ianto said politely. He ignored the look she gave him and pretended that this evening wasn't any different from any other night. Glancing down, he hid a wince as he noticed dried bits of that substance from the basement on his jumper and trousers. He looked utterly disreputable, he supposed. He checked his box for mail before trailing Jack up the stairs to his flat.
"Is she always down there," Jack asked in a whisper as they walked up the stairs together. Ianto nodded ruefully and Jack chuckled. "Poor Ianto! I do think you shocked her into speechlessness with your tattered look."
"I'm shattered," Ianto said drily and Jack laughed outright at the tone of his voice. Jack opened the door to his flat with his set of keys and gestured for Ianto to enter. Sighing, Ianto walked into the dark flat and turned on a light. Jack closed the door and leaned on the door frame to the living room.
"Hungry?" Jack asked. Ianto thought about it and realized he hadn't had a thing to eat all day, other than coffee and a handful of chips that Terry had brought in before everything fell apart earlier. He nodded.
"You?" He asked Jack, who nodded. "How about having some Chinese delivered?"
"I could go for that," Jack said. He pushed off the frame and entered the room as Ianto sat down on the sofa and picked up his handset. "What do you want?"
"Anything, as long as it is vegetarian," Ianto said with a heartfelt sigh. Jack laughed and sat down next to him and Ianto felt a smile tug the corner of his mouth. He dialed the number of the local shop from memory and put an order in, Jack nodding as he listed each item. Hanging up, he rested his head on the back of the sofa. "It should be here in about a half hour."
"Time enough to go take a shower if you want," Jack said. He had seen the look of distaste that Ianto had given his clothing down in the lobby and knew that he probably needed it. Checking his own clothing, he found that he had been spared any lingering remains of their experience in the basement. A good thing, he mused, since Ianto would have had to clean his coat otherwise. Ianto bore the worst of it since he had been the one to extract the victims from their grisly cocoons. "Go."
"I think I will," Ianto said. He pushed himself off the sofa and headed off to the bathroom. A few minutes later, Jack could hear the water running, and he got up to set up for their meal. He took his coat off and tossed it over the back of the armchair before going to the kitchen to get them some plates and napkins. Looking in the fridge, he saw that there were still some beer bottles on the bottom shelf so he pulled those out and brought them into the living room for them to drink.
By the time Ianto had emerged from his shower looking much more refreshed, the food had arrived and Jack was seated on the sofa waiting for him.
"Oh, that smells good," Ianto said as he padded barefoot into the room wearing a t-shirt and running shorts. Jack gave him an admiring look as he sat down. "You could have started without me."
"No, I wanted to wait," Jack said. He opened several containers and dished out portions onto each plate. Handing one to Ianto with a set of chopsticks, he picked up his own and they started eating. Neither of them spoke as they assuaged their hunger, Jack handing Ianto a beer to drink.
"What a day," Ianto said with a sigh. He took a pull from his bottle before placing it on the coffee table in front of them. "What a couple of days." Jack chuckled. "I'm glad it's over. I think I'm too old to do two jobs these days." He grinned at Jack before taking another bite of his spring roll.
"Actually, after watching you work at the Coffi Emporium, I think you have it easy working for Torchwood," Jack said with a twinkle in his eyes. Ianto snorted in response.
"Right," Ianto said, his tone skeptical. He started ticking items off on his hand as he continued. "I have it easy making coffee, managing the front of the tourist office, cleaning up after you when you make a mess, holding Gwen's hand when she's grumpy after you've done something she doesn't like, fixing the computers when you break them, archiving the junk that comes through the rift," Ianto paused to take a breath and put down his plate to continue counting.
"What else? Ah yes, cleaning up the archives from the abominable records keeping by past archivists – that one bears repeating several times since that one task is a full time job in itself. And oh, how could I forget the rest? Writing reports, fielding questions from UNIT, helping you avoid the PM when you don't feel like answering the phone and ordering food before everyone collapses from hunger." Jack was holding his side because he was laughing so hard that he couldn't respond. "Do I need to continue, or is that enough?"
"No, that's enough," Jack said. "Did I strike a nerve there?"
"No, not at all," Ianto said mildly, trying to hold back a grin. He leaned forward. "I can keep on going."
"Is this all in your job description?" Jack asked, putting up his hand to defend himself.
"I don't have a job description, at least not one you've ever presented to me," Ianto said. He grew contemplative. "Maybe that's part of the problem."
"Ianto, if you remember, you offered to do any task I asked of you," Jack said with a teasing note in his voice. "What was it now? Ah, yes, and I do quote 'I can be the receptionist, building maintenance, food and drink. Dry cleaning – that coat of yours must take a battering. I can butler, I can be a butler.'"
"I distinctly remember you saying you didn't need a butler," Ianto said, grinning as his words were thrown back in his face.
"Oh, I did say that, didn't I?" Jack mused. He put down his empty plate and rested his arm along the back of the sofa. His fingers lightly brushed Ianto's arm. "What about the rest?"
"Which rest?" Ianto asked. Jack leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "Oh, that."
"Is this part of the description?" Jack asked against Ianto's lips. He had wrapped his arm around Ianto's shoulders and could feel the increase in Ianto's heart beating against the palm of his hand.
"No, I don't believe it is," Ianto said, breathing in the heady scent of Jack's pheromones. "I think this is a perquisite." Jack chuckled in response to his comment. He watched as Ianto's eyes dilated with desire.
"And is that a good thing?" Jack asked softly. He placed his other hand on Ianto's, which had been resting on his knee. He stroked his thumb along the back, feeling the hair on the back of Ianto's hand raise up in response to the movement.
"Oh, yes," Ianto responded. He closed his eyes against the intensity of Jack's gaze, enjoying the gentle assault. "That is a very good thing."
He felt the feather light touch of Jack's lips against his skin as they trailed across his face and down his neck. His breathing quickened in response to Jack's actions. Jack stopped as his plate started to slide off the sofa and he pulled back to catch it. Ianto opened his eyes and watched him for a moment. He stacked his own plate on top of Jack's before closing several of the open containers they had abandoned earlier. Putting them together on the coffee table, he turned back to where Jack was still seated. "Now, where were we?" He got up and straddled Jack's lap. Jack shifted so that they were both more comfortably seated, his hands resting on Ianto's hips. "I believe we were discussing perquisites."
"Right," Jack said, his eyes glinting with amusement. He tilted his head in that way Ianto loved so much, giving him a knowing glance. "What else is there to discuss?" His eyes drifted down from Ianto's face and focused someplace further south for a moment.
"I see it as added compensation," Ianto said, putting his hands on Jack's shoulders and kneading them. "You know, for a job well done." Jack nodded again as his eyes drifted back up to Ianto's face.
"Like a bonus?" Jack asked, playing the game. Ianto nodded. Jack titled his chin up and grinned. "So let's talk bonuses" The two bantered back and forth before they headed off to the bedroom for a more in depth discussion of what the bonus should be…
~*~
