AN: I am glad so many of you are coming around to the idea of Owen and Ianto. The pairing doesn't have much of a presence on here, and the more I think about it the more in common I think these two characters have. I hope Owen continues to be in canon.
Dedication: "Orion Lyonesse" for her much appreciated review. It was nice to get a review of my writing style for a change, as opposed to them largely being based on my plots. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.
Please keep those reviews coming x
"God damn him." Owen snarled as he pulled out of the kiss with Ianto, the shrill sound of his mobile sounding in the otherwise silent room.
"I'll make more coffee." Ianto sighed as he wandered off towards the kitchen, not keen to listen to the conversation that would be happening once Owen answered his call.
"What now Jack?" Owen moaned into his phone. "Bloody weevils – okay I'm on my way. Do you want me to bring Ianto too?" He asked. "Yes I'm still with him – why is that so surprising?" He asked exasperatedly. "Right we'll be ten minutes." Owen said before hanging up.
"Why do I get the impression I'm making coffee in the wrong place?" Ianto asked emerging from the kitchen with two empty mugs in his hands.
"Weevil sighting in Bute. Jack and the girls have gone after it but it apparently took a swipe at Gwen. Jack thinks she needs a couple of stitches." Owen relayed the details.
"Marvellous." Ianto said with a sigh.
"Tell me about it." Owen complained as he pushed his phone into his pocket. "We'll pick this back up later yeah?" He asked with a smirk.
Ianto smiled and nodded. "Without sounding overly cliché, we need to talk. But I don't think the Hub is the ideal setting for that."
"No." Owen agreed. "Rift permitting do you want to grab something to eat at mine later?" He offered as Ianto placed the redundant mugs onto the coffee table and the two men walked into the hall and pulled on their respective jackets.
Ianto nodded. "Sounds good. Though that should be rift and Jack permitting." He remarked as they walked out his apartment and down the stairs of his building.
Owen laughed softly. "True." He admitted. "He was surprised that I was still here. Does everyone think I hate you?" He asked as they set off down the street through the snow once more.
"Pretty much." Ianto replied as he snuggled down into his jacket hoping to soak up all its warmth.
"Self preservation." Owen commented seriously. "I thought if I treated you the opposite of how I was feeling, that maybe I would end up feeling that way. That seeing you with him wouldn't hurt so much."
"And I take it that didn't work out for you?" Ianto remarked with a gentle smile.
Owen grinned. "Not so much." He said as they stepped onto the Plass. "Look Jack's obviously back on the prowl and seems keen to get back in your pants. I think you need to know that if he starts flirting with you I might have to hit him." He said as they hovered outside the tourist information office door.
"Throw the stapler at him. Bruises quite well." Ianto said as he pushed the handle down and they stepped inside.
"I'm serious Ianto." Owen said, placing one hand on Ianto's arm as he reached around the counter to open the secret door.
Ianto looked back over his shoulder at him. "I know." He said softly. "Trust me, I have no plans to fall back into bed with him. I'd like to hope I have sufficient willpower to fight him off if he tries anything. Plus there's this new guy I've just met who I'm keen to learn more about." He explained.
"New guy?" Owen echoed with a small grin.
Ianto nodded. "Seems I didn't know him as well as I thought I did." He said softly.
Owen smiled.
"Come on. Go patch Gwen up whilst I do the coffee run. Hopefully there'll be no more drama this afternoon and we can go back to yours and talk." Ianto said pressing the button that opened the secret door.
Owen nodded. "Do we need a cover story for where we've been?" He asked as they passed through the wall and boarded the lift down to the Hub.
"We've been at my apartment. If they find that hard to believe you can say you were throwing things at me if it helps." Ianto replied.
"I promise to tone down the throwing of items. Hard ones at least." Owen retorted as they stepped in to the Hub through the cog door.
"It would be appreciated." Ianto said as he made his way across the Hub towards the kitchen. "Coffee anyone?" He called.
"Thanks Ianto." Tosh replied from her workstation.
"Gwen?" Ianto called.
"I sedated her." Jack's voice echoed in the small kitchen making Ianto jump.
"She okay?" He asked pulling four mugs down from the shelf.
"Just a small cut but it was deep and I think the weevil shook her up a bit." Jack replied. "How are you?" He asked.
"Fine." Ianto commented.
"Can we have a word in my office when you're done? Bring your coffee with you." Jack requested before leaving Ianto to his task.
Once he'd made the four coffee Ianto balanced them on a tray and set off around the Hub.
"You okay Tosh?" He asked as he set her mug down on her crowded desk.
She nodded. "Fine thank you Ianto." She smiled up at him briefly before returning her attention to her monitor. Ianto smiled before setting the tray down on Gwen's vacant desk and retrieving Owen's mug and taking it down to the medical bay and placing it on the table at the side of the room away from where the medic was working on the unconscious Gwen.
"Coffee's up." He said as he walked over.
"Thanks." Owen said focusing on the neat row of stitches.
"She okay?" Ianto asked.
Owen nodded. "She'll be fine. I'm sure Jack was more than capable of dealing with this himself, but I don't think its me that he wanted back here." He said glancing up at Ianto.
"No. He wants a word in his office apparently." Ianto replied.
Owen shook his head lightly. "Why am I not surprised? Bet I can guess which word too." He mused as he returned his attention to his patient.
"Whatever word he chooses, it won't work." Ianto reassured laying his hand gently on Owen's shoulder before climbing the stairs back up to the main level of Hub. Retrieving the last two mugs from his tray he set off towards his Captain's office, knocking lightly on the door and entering once access was granted.