Title: Let's call this a date.

Prompt: Day at the beach.
Fandom/Characters: Torchwood, Capt. Jack Harkness/ Ianto Jones.
Medium: fic
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language.
Summary: Jack and Ianto share a very unusual moment.

Word count: 1 137 more or less.

Note: Written for Schmoop Bingo

Beta: Jooles34

…..

Ianto had been walking bare foot in the sand for some time. It was a nice beach; a single band of white sand stretching as far as he could see and into the golden ocean. Two ghostly moons peered over the horizon of a pale blue sky. This place was nowhere on Earth.

Suddenly he felt fingers brushing gently against his.

"Oh. Here you are." Ianto said.

Jack gave him a smile.

"What is this place?" Ianto asked.

"Boeshane." Jack answered, looking around.

"There is a city over there," Ianto said, turning to point on the other direction, "But whenever I try to walk towards it, it just... gets further away."

"There's nothing for you there." Jack answered, turning his back to the city. "Let's walk this way."

This was a dream, an induced dream. Ianto was now familiar with the concept, and with this particular place. This dream belonged to Jack. Several times the Captain had pushed this particular dream, his safe place he had explained to Ianto, into his mind to help him out of the nightmares that used to haunt his nights.

But it was the first time the Captain ever joined him here.

"What are we doing here?" Ianto asked.

"You don't remember? You have been hurt and you had a bad reaction to the sedative Owen gave you."

"Bad? How bad?"

"Getting delirious and panicking, nothing more."

"So, in fact; I'm in the Hub?"

"Ah, no. Your place, just you and me."

"Okay. So I'm fine." Ianto said, a bit relieved. If they were home it meant either his case was desperate or he just needed some rest. "Can we enjoy this place as long as we want?"

"As long and as much as you want."

"Could we have a swim?"

"Of course." Jack replied as if Ianto had just asked for what the Captain was hoping for. Jack was now completely naked. He had not undressed. He was just naked as Ianto suddenly was too. The young man glanced towards the city.

"Nobody is coming." Jack stated. "This is my dream."

"Are you sure?" Ianto asked. "'cause, in mine you can be sure someone would show up, preferably at the worst possible time."

"If this was your dream, Ianto Jones, we would be surrounded by cybermen and cannibals."

"Cyber-cannibals more likely." Ianto admitted.

The prospect of dreaming someone else's dream was still something very disturbing to Ianto, even if it was Jack's dream.

"Stop rambling and let me show you the wonders I had grown in the sea." Jack said, beckoning Ianto into the water. The liquid was crystal clear with a golden touch.

"What is it?"

"Microorganisms; plankton like."

"Looks like gold dust."

"It's gold to this world. The first feeding source for most of the indigenous species."

The water felt strangely consistent against his body, it was cool but not cold. Jack was already swimming ahead moving through the water with the ease of a dolphin.

"Eh! You could have waited for me."

Jack came back, circling around him.

"I do." he said before diving under the surface.

"Do you remember that I can't breathe under water?"

*It's just a dream Ianto. Come on, let me show you how it's working.* Jack answered. Ianto realised he was hearing him directly in his head. Of course this was a dream, but Ianto couldn't prevent a bit of apprehension when he dived to follow Jack.

*Trust me.* Jack's voice sounded comforting. *Just breathe normaly.*

The first breath had been awkward, slightly burning. Ianto could taste the salty water on his tongue, but he was breathing, breathing under water. Jack was still waiting, silently watching him.

*Show me.* Ianto asked.

*Follow me and keep your eyes wide open.*

They swam and played in what looked to Ianto like the most wonderful tropical aquarium, surrounded by painted fish and funny bugs all dressed in wonderful colours, shells of all shapes and sizes, corals and sea flowers and stars. A shoal of tiny blue fish with a single purple stripe attacked them making Ianto giggle at their gentle touch.

*Are there any predators?* he asked.

* There are, but not so close to the shore and not in this dream anyway.*

*Can we go back to the shore? I feel tired.*

*That will be the sedative fading. Does it hurt?*

*No, just feeling numb as if my body is getting heavier.*

There they were, already back on the sand, large towels waiting for them, even though they were already dry. Ianto set himself comfortably on the red one as Jack sprawled on the blue one.

"Every thing's in the details." Ianto said approvingly.

Lying on his belly, Jack was fumbling in the sand under his towel.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for sand-strawberries." Jack answered, holding proudly what looked like a dehydrated red grape. "Open your mouth."

Ianto looked doubtfully at the fruit.

"What's that?"

"Just open your mouth and trust me."

"Can I?" Ianto answered with a smirk, but he opened his mouth anyway. "Humm. Wow. What was that?"

"Some kind of sand-mollusc." Jack replied. "We used to come here after school to pick them as a snack."

Ianto winced at the thought, and Jack laughed.

"How is it that you can so easily get in my head to share what would be very old memories to you?"

"In the first place, because you gave me permission to, when you allowed me to connect my mind to yours and also because the drugs have weakened your self-preservation mechanisms."

"So this isn't the kind of thing we are likely to do again?"

"Not on regular basis, unless you plan on becoming a drug addict."

"No. Thanks. That's not on my schedule." Ianto replied, "What if I wanted to share with you something special? Would it work the other way around?"

"Yes it should. What have you in mind?"

"I'd like to show you how it feels to have sex as an empath."

"I think I already love your idea, Mister Jones." Jack said mischievously. "I rather like to know how you feel when you fuck me."

Some would think; what an ego. Ianto wondered if that was actually a lack of self confidence.

"I think, you should top." Ianto said.

"Why's that?"

"'Cause I'm unconscious, remember? I guess you're not."

"We don't need to actually do it. I bet you've got enough imagination to take me were you want me." Jack teased him. "I want to know what you feel when you fuck me."

"I feel you, the whole of you." Ianto said before claiming Jack's mouth.

They had sex on the beach, the sea lurking gently at their ankles. They rolled in the sand of a world not yet colonized, taking and giving as much as they could until finally Ianto felt asleep.