AN: In the words of the famous song "There may be trouble… ahead…"
Please keep those reviews coming x
The main Hub area was empty as was usual for this time of the morning when Ianto strolled in through the cog door. He was hoping he looked calmer than he felt as he moved around the desks gathering up any left over plates and mugs from the day before and taking them into the kitchen where he turned on the coffee machine. The reassuring hum sounded from the machine as it came to life and Ianto checked his watch before pulling five mugs down out of the cupboard above the bench. Whilst the Hub was quiet now, he knew from endless experience that the three none resident members of the team would be arriving one by one within the next half an hour desperate for coffees. Presuming Jack was in the Hub as well he would no doubt surface sooner rather than later in search of caffeine and probably Ianto. The Welshman decided it would be better to get the possible confrontation over with before the prying eyes of the team turned up to act as audience so poured out two steaming mugs of coffee and carried them cautiously out of the kitchen. Looking up at the office before he set his foot on the first step up there he could see no obvious sign of life. Climbing the metal staircase nervously he juggled the two mugs into one hand as he raised his free hand up to knock on the door. Jack's voice sounded from within granting him access and Ianto walked slowly inside, just in time to see the immortal man climb out through the manhole in the floor. Jack finished buttoning his shirt as he rounded his desk and pulled his braces up over his shoulders.
"Thank you." He said stiffly as Ianto deposited his coffee onto the desk and stepped back.
"Anything else I can get for you sir?" Ianto asked calmly as Jack finally raised his gaze to look at him. He had the decency to flinch at the sight of the purple mark that ran from the dip of Ianto's chin to the corner of his mouth.
"No thank you." Jack replied. Ianto nodded and turned to leave.
"Are you alright?" Jack asked. Ianto turned and looked back at the immortal man and saw him looking up at him with concern, regret and a hint of fear.
"Not especially, but I carry on don't I? I always carry on." Ianto remarked before continuing out of the office and down the steps into the main work area. As he reached the bottom of the steps the cog door rolled open and the three remaining team members wandered in. Tosh eager as ever at the front, Gwen sauntering in behind her, and Owen bringing up the rear looking a little on edge.
"Oh my god Ianto what happened?" Tosh asked as she deposited her bag on her desk and unravelled the scarf from around her neck, her face full of concern.
"It looks like you've been in a fight." Gwen remarked.
"I have." Ianto said simply.
"What?" Tosh gasped.
"Me, Owen and a few snowballs. Turns out that the one that smacked me in the face yesterday did a little more damage than we first thought. I looks worse than it is." He said in a tone that sparked no further questioning from the girls.
"You should be more careful." Gwen admonished turning to face Owen who had watched the entire discussion from a safe distance, his face unreadable.
"He certainly should." Jack's booming voice rang out around the Hub and the team all turned to look up at their Captain.
"I do hope you've apologised." Tosh said lightly as she settled into her chair.
"He has. He even cooked me dinner last night to make up for it. Did you all know he was a chef?" Ianto asked with a small smile for the Londoner.
"You can cook?" Gwen asked.
Owen nodded. "Beats eating take out all the time." He replied.
"Wow." Gwen said simply.
"Maybe we all need to spend more time at Owen's." Tosh joked.
"Well some of us have spent time there before – did he not cook for you Gwen?" Jack asked with a vindictive tone from his lofty position.
Gwen shook her head. "Not unless you class a cup of coffee as cooking." She said slumping into her seat a little embarrassed by the referral to her and Owen's short lived affair.
"Well I didn't get coffee if that's any consolation." Ianto said in an attempt to ease the sudden tension in the room.
"Speaking of coffee, any chance Ianto?" Owen asked quickly.
Ianto nodded. "I'll bring them over." He said before slipping off into the kitchen.
"Owen a word." Jack said pushing back off the railings he had been leaning on and disappearing into his office.
"Looks like you're gonna get told off for damaging Jack's toys." Gwen's voice rang out in a sing song fashion that oozed sarcasm.
"Oh piss off Gwen." Owen muttered angrily as he stomped up the stairs and walked straight into Jack's office, taking up his place in the middle of the floor, standing with his arms crossed firmly over his chest.
"Good night last night?" Jack asked not looking up from the paperwork he was pretending to read and sign with his pen in his hand hovering over each sheet.
"Was alright. Least I could do." Owen replied deciding Ianto's apology dinner story was plausible enough to try and go with.
Jack looked up at him, his eyes studying his face intently and making Owen feel a little self-conscious.
"Okay." Jack said simply. "I need the paperwork from the Tubanti incident on my desk by lunch time." He changed the subject with ease.
Owen nodded. "No problem." He said before turning and walking back out. Heading for his desk he spotted Ianto approaching out of the corner of his eye carrying his coffee and so detoured suddenly and went down into the medical bay, hopeful that he'd be followed.
"Your coffee as requested." Ianto said calmly as he placed the mug on the small table to the side of the room where Owen was flipping through paperwork pretending he was looking for something.
"Cheers." Owen said simply.
"Well?" Ianto whispered after a few minutes silence.
"Either he buys what you said up there – which I am not wholly pleased about but we'll discuss that later – or he is the worlds greatest bluffer – in which case remind me never to play him at poker." Owen spoke quickly and quietly.
"Right." Ianto said simply.
"Any thoughts?" Owen asked.
Ianto nodded. "Oh yes. And believe me, they aren't particularly good ones. Just watch your back yeah, because I always lost at poker against Jack. Every time." He mused before climbing the steps back up to the main Hub, leaving a worried Owen in his wake.