A/N: Sorry guys! This would have been up sooner but I was tired from work yesterday and toinght I just got back from seeing MCFLY! I know it's embarrassign to admit that I like McFly... but they were blood brilliant and they played Transylvania and! And I can console myself by saying that I like the Beatles and the Black Keys and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Lady Gaga and normal music too :) ANyway, I'll shut up and let you read! Hannah xxx
Jack was determined that tonight would be the first night of the year or perhaps even, when considering the grand scheme of things, the first night of his life on which he wasn't running late. He'd invited his Welsh companion to arrive between seven thirty and eight o'clock that evening and, although he suspected that Ianto would indeed arrive nearer eight to allow for Jack's typically tardy behaviour, the American had firmly made up his mind that by seven thirty on the dot he would be ready. The vegetarian lasagne (he'd settle upon the vegetarian option for two reasons – 1. He himself preferred it to the traditional meat variation, and deemed it tastier and 2. He hadn't actually thought to ask Ianto whether he ate meat or not and felt that this way he was accounting for either scenario) would have just gone in the oven, the bottle of Brunello di Montalcino would be out on the side 'breathing', the flat would be spick and span and spotless and he would be fully dressed and groomed in 'suitable' clothing… and this strategy so very nearly went to plan…
It was twenty past seven and Jack was fully prepared - dressed in a short sleeved, grey, fitted polo shirt and dark blue wash straight cut jeans, his hair was freshly washed and gelled into his signature style and his teeth had been cleaned and flossed – the rich, roasted vegetable lasagne was bubbling contentedly in the oven, he'd done a quick spot check of the apartment and everything was tidy – and more importantly, there was nothing embarrassing out on display - and the red wine had been opened into a decanter twenty minutes previously. In short, everything was ready and not only was Jack not late for once in his life, but he was actually now at risk of experiencing the impatient sense of anticipation that being early entails. But then disaster struck. As he went to open the oven door to check up on the lasagne, Jack's elbow caught the neck of the crystal decanter, causing the entire vessel to topple over.
Thankfully the decanter itself, which was produced and purchased in the early thirties and had been passed on to Jack from his Uncle, didn't incur a single crack, chip or scratch. Unfortunately though, the lid had slipped out during the impact and the entire contents of the decanter was now running down Jack's clean clothing, across the counter top, down the sides of the cupboards, and on to the floor.
"Bollocks!" The American shouted out with anguish and hastily began clearing up the trickling red liquid, not attempting to keep any of the dirtied cloths or cleaning fluids away from his garments which were most certainly ruined now. Jack had never been one for excessive tidying or neurotic levels of cleanliness but he rather got the impression that Ianto might be and so he made every effort to get the very last traces of the wine clear from the kitchen, and then took off his soiled clothing and tossed it into the washing machine to be dealt with in the morning. Afterwards, he retrieved a second bottle of the Brunello di Montalcino from the wine rack – praising the fact that he'd bought two – to be poured into the decanter along with a bottle of Chianti that could be drunk whilst the other wine was 'breathing'.
He anxiously glanced at his wristwatch: 7.40. Ianto could be here within a matter of seconds and he was still stood there in his lucky stars and stripes underwear with traces of the red wine still lingering on his bare skin. The errant though of allowing Ianto to open the door to greet this sight of him crossed his mind, the idea of the Welshman removing the last traces of alcohol with his tongue… but the thought was shaken away as quickly as it arrived; Jack understood that Ianto was probably nervous enough about tonight (which is precisely why he had suggested they meet at his house instead of going out, he'd hoped there would be less pressure on all parties, but the evening had begun with a stressful start for Jack at least) and he didn't want to over whelm him or scare him away.
After a quick splash of a flannel, soap and hot water Jack rapidly changed into a second pair of jeans – black this time – and a white fitted t-shirt that suitably hugged his well-developed chest muscles. The light beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead during this manic rush of action were wiped away and his hair was readjusted into its patented style and there was just a second for the American to pause and breathe a quick sigh of relief before he heard a light rasp on his door at ten to eight.
So…I might not be early, and it may have been a little bit of a mad rush to get to this point, but I am definitely not late. Jack concluded happily and went to open the door.
"Ah Ianto, you dropped something" He proclaimed as he swung the door open enthusiastically.
The American chuckled inwardly to himself as the puzzled young man before him pulled his eyebrows up into a quick frown, let them settle and then raised just a single brow inquisitively at his remark.
Jack smiled and replied "My jaw" with a wink. Cheesy chat up lines were not usually the Captain's style, he'd never had to go further than 'can I buy you a drink' to attract the object of his interest's attention in a bar, but he thought that it might help ease any tension and make the Welshman feel at ease.
Ianto sighed before him and lapse into and sceptical smile "Did you really just say that?"
"Really, really" Jack grinned, causing Ianto to laugh. "Well, come on in then if you dare…" He added mysteriously ushering the Welshman in to his 'humble abode'.
The two men walked together through to the apartment and Ianto took in these surroundings for the first time since the fancy dress party, surprised to find that the apartment seemed very different when it was occupied by just two people in the absence of a drinks and snacks table and general party clutter. The door opened to a small reception-esque area containing Jack's phone and letter rack and shoes, and then swelled in to a spacious living room, the walls painted in a bright white. A few well selected paintings and a couple of choice photographs of Jack's various modelling shoots were hanging on the walls, there was a wooden upright piano against the side wall, a large book case, record player and stack of vinyl was against another and the brown leather sofa – angled towards the television –was near enough in the centre. There was a half wall between the living room and the kitchen/dining area and three doors leading off into two bedrooms and a bathroom accordingly, Ianto presumed. The décor was minimalistic and neat, with a few potted plants dotted about, and a Venetian gilded edged mirror; Ianto suspected that perhaps on a typical day the overall appearance mightn't be quite this tidy, but never the less Ianto decided quite firmly that he liked Jack's apartment rather a lot.
"Just make yourself feel comfortable and I'll get us both a glass of wine" Jack said smiling before exiting to the kitchen to pour out two glasses of the Chianti.
Ianto had a little walk around the interior of the living room, admiring the collection of books and appreciating the very fact that Jack owned a record player as so few of his friends listened to vinyl these days and he'd thought that he and Tosh were the only people they knew who still owned one. He lingered by the piano for a second or two, allowing his fingers to trace lightly across the top as Jack re-entered the room.
"I didn't know you played" The Welshman said smiling as Jack handed him a glass.
Jack nodded and escorted Ianto to the sofa and replied: "Yeah… have done ever since I was a kid and my Mom made me take up lessons, singing lessons too, and I hated them at first but I don't know what I'd do without music for a little light relief now" He chuckled. "I have a full grand piano back in my house in the states; I'd have loved to have brought it with me though… do you play at all?"
"I dabble, but I'm not anything special, and I haven't played in years now… Where abouts in the States are you from?" Ianto asked intrigued at the revelation that Jack still owned a home out there.
"I'm from Hudson County, New Jersey. I lived in Manhattan for a while whilst I was modelling and then moved back to Bayonne when I packed it in. Then after a while I got bored without a career so, I moved over to the UK four years ago when I got a job as a photographer in London, but it was only a temporary contract and when the time to move on came, I decided to stay in the Britain but give Wales ago… never could resist a Welsh accent" He winked at Ianto who began to blush just a little. "I was going to sell the house in Bayonne when I moved, but I bought it outright with the money I earned modelling so it's not costing me anything to keep, and I just can't bear to part with it."
"Wow, I've never lived anywhere other than South Wales! Grew up in Newport and moved to Cardiff for University." Ianto laughed.
"That's' just as well, we wouldn't want that accent of yours to become diluted now would we?"
Ianto smiled. "Do you have much family out there?"
"There's my Mom and Dad who still live in Bayonne, and my brother Gray who lives in Boston now – I try and visit them as frequently as possible. What about your family? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"My Mum lives in my old house back in Newport and my sister Rhiannon lives in the Cromwell estate with her fiancée 'soon-to-be-husband' Johnny"
"You're lucky that they're all so close"
"Yeah I guess I am" Ianto smiled. "Though it does mean that nothing stays private from them for very long" He laughed.
"Like this you mean" Jack replied gesturing between the two of them.
"No! Well… yes… but I didn't mean… I umm…" Ianto said getting a little flustered, wondering how he should explain to Jack that while he was sure his family (aside from a few jokey comments from Johnny) wouldn't be bothered in the slightest, he didn't want to broadcast anything while it was all so 'new'.
Jack swiftly cut off his anxious mutterings with a delicate kiss, the first that evening, on Ianto's mumbling lips and laughed as he withdrew to see a rather surprised Welshman who had most definitely stopped talking.
The two of them then continued to talk about little aspects of their private lives: about what Jack thought about being a model V.s being a photographer (he enjoyed both equally, though modelling gave him an excuse to be a little vain which was always a plus in his opinion); Ianto confessed that he secretly rather enjoyed the weekend children's reading group sessions at the library that he'd been roped into a year or so back; both compared their respective music tastes and found that they agreed on a great deal (and that they both agreed that vinyl was definitely best); they'd swapped favourite films and books and Jack had been pleasantly surprised to find that Ianto was a closeted musicals fan as well as a diehard action movie fanatic. They pretty much discussed as much as could be crammed in to the hour they had before the lasagne was cooked and ready to eat, giving the two of them a chance to get to know each other and confirm their strong, positive opinions of their respective companion.
Jack was midway through a story, which if anyone else had been telling Ianto would have been certain that they were making it up or at least exaggerating the truth, when an egg timer went off in the kitchen.
"Ooh, that's dinner ready" Jack beamed and leaped up.
"What are we having?"
"Roasted vegetable lasagne, does that sound ok?"
"Mmm sounds good to me" Ianto smiled.
"Yeah… I wasn't sure if you were vegetarian or not… so I thought I'd better play it safe." Jack confessed.
The Welshman laughed: "Better safe than sorry! But for future reference, I'm not"
"Well then, next time I'll have to cook you my infamous chilli con carne then!" He replied, gesturing for Ianto to follow him through to the kitchen.
Next time…. Ianto mused, yes; let's hope there's a next time.
The pair of them sat eating amongst infrequent chatter in Jack's kitchen, enjoying both the lasagne and the 'back up' bottle of Brunello di Montalcino.
"You were right about one thing Jack, you certainly do have impeccable taste in wine" The Welshman said as the American went to top up his now empty glass.
"I don't like to boast but…" He laughed, not revealing the truth to Ianto about the wine related disaster from just under a couple of hours previously.
"Oh really?" The Welshman contested sarcastically, raising and eyebrow and smiling – he'd already grown used to Jack's occasional boastful moments that somehow seemed more like 'self-appreciation' and, more often than not, pure fact than boasting. "You were wrong about one thing also…" He finished smugly.
Jacks brow knitted together for just a second before he asked, "Oh. What was that then?"
Ianto's smile widened. "You told me you weren't much of a cook… and that my good friend was definitely an inaccurate statement!"
"Thank you! But there's usually about a 50/50 chance as to whether my exploits in a kitchen will actually turn out successfully or not and I didn't want to get your hopes up!"
"Well today it was most certainly successful" Ianto concluded. "And speaking of getting my hopes up, I think it's about bloody time you told me about how you and Tosh met because the suspense is killing me – it better live up to my expectations!"
Jack laughed, "I thought you might ask about that tonight… alright then – but firstly, you have to absolutely promise me that it won't alter your opinion of me?"
The Welshman rolled his eyes, "Can it really be that outrageous? On the first day that I met you, you told some shocking work story; you introduced yourself as 'Captain' Jack; and proceeded to kiss me in front of all your guests – I've already established that you're notorious, flirtatious and a bit of a wild card, surely nothing you can tell me now could make me think even worse of you" Ianto joked.
"You'll have to answer that one for yourself when I'm finished" Jack winked. "Basically, one night about two and a half years ago after I'd just moved to Cardiff, and clearly before you and Tosh had started living together again, I was out in Splott for the evening – as was the lovely Miss Sato" Jack's eyes twinkled as he began the tale in a fairy story like manner. "I was meeting up with one of my new work colleagues John Smith who's also a photographer well known for his eccentricity and notoriety for a drink in the Cardiff arms and Tosh was out for a meal with some girlfriends I think"
Jack took a pause for breath, and to create suspense; Ianto nodded for him to continue.
"John and I had been chatting for a good while now, maybe several hours – certainly several pints worth of time, when out of the blue he turned to face me intently in the eye and asked me if I fancied playing a game. Naturally I said yes, and so he dared me to take off all my clothes once we were outside of the pub and run naked down the street and in return I dared him to take the sword that was hanging above the fireplace in the pub."
Ianto raised an eyebrow with intrigue. "And how exactly does Tosh fit in to all of this?" He asked, surprised at how his quite, subdued and serious friend could have found herself talking to a naked Jack accompanied by a madman with a sword.
"All in good time" Jack replied ominously. "So, I left the pub first and prepared myself for John's approaching exit by stripping down to my t-shirt and boxers, ready to remove the remaining garments as he left the building running with the sword. When the moment came, I quickly stripped and followed after him, attempting to lose the trail of the pub landlord who was chasing after us. John ended up chucking the sword over to me before hiding in some bushes as I continued to run, still being followed by the landlord, and who did I end up running into…?"
"Tosh?" The Welshman guessed.
"Precisely. I literally ran straight into her as she was about to get into a taxi, and she seemed rather shocked bless her, but I didn't have a second to waist through reassuring her that I wasn't a madmen or a sex addict or on drugs as the man following me had almost caught up, so instead I rather cheekily asked if I could share her taxi… You could tell that she wasn't quite sure how to respond, but she let me in the taxi – though the cabbie himself was none too happy about my state of attire – and we drove away with the landlord cursing behind us. During the journey I explained everything to her properly, and she seemed to settle down a little, which was just as well because I suddenly realised that I had left my keys in the back pocket of my jeans which were now lining the streets of Splott. With it being far too late to call out a locksmith and with me being far too clothes-less to hang around on the streets until morning Toshiko rather reluctantly invited me back to her apartment to sleep on the sofa."
"Really? That seems unlike Tosh! Letting a stranger, and a naked one at that, into her home!"
"Well, what can I say, it's the American charm and the jaw line" He winked. "Anyway, I went up to her apartment with her and she lent me her dressing gown – which I think I still have somewhere, unsurprisingly she didn't want it back! – and we had a cup of tea and a long chat before heading off to bed/the sofa. In the morning she cooked me breakfast and we had a bit more of a talk before I called a locksmith and left after exchanging contact details with each other, as across that bizarre little escapade we'd grown to realise that we had rather a lot to talk about. We met up a few infrequent times in pubs or bars or restaurants before our meetings became regular occurrences and we became good friends… it's a bit of a weird one really" Jack finished laughing and gasping for breath after telling such a long tale.
"You're telling me! It's a heck of a good story to be able to tell people though! What happened to the sword?"
"Do you know what, I'm not sure… John asked me for it the following day, but I couldn't remember where I'd put it and Tosh didn't have it at her place… I guess I must have left it in the taxi!" He laughed again and Ianto joined in.
The two men cleared their plates and glasses into the kitchen sink to soak and moved into the living room once more to take up their seats on Jack's sofa; Ianto glanced at his watch: twenty past ten. How had it grown so late already? He'd, well they both he hoped, had been having such a good evening that he hadn't noticed that the evening was slipping through his fingers so rapidly. Though, just as he was thinking this, Jack leaned in towards him and connected their two sets of lips together in a deep, lust fuelled kiss that made time stand utterly still. The room was completely silent and neither man could focus on anything but the sensation of the other's lips against their own, the feeling of another tongue invading an awaiting mouth, the feeling of cool hands roaming under shirts to find warm waists or hot backs… they sat there, joined together as closely as possible given their current restrictions, for what seemed like years, only pulling apart for Ianto to whisper nervously against Jack's soft lips:
"I've had a really great time tonight, we should do it again sometime…" He hoped he didn't sound desperate.
Jack pulled back a little further and grinned devilishly with a wicked glint in his eye, "Ah, but the night is not over yet" He whispered almost predatorily in a suggestive manner which sent shivers down the younger man's spine and set anxious butterflies flying in his stomach.
Ianto gulped, "Jack I umm… you know I haven't… I mean it's late and" He stuttered, not sure how to confess his complete lack of experience of anything beyond kissing that two men might be able to do together, or confess the fact that he wasn't certain that he was quite ready to find out…. but Jack put a swift stop to his worries.
"Relax Ianto" He said smiling and planting a brief, light kiss on the other man's cheek, before getting up of the sofa and waling over to his DVD cabinet to pull out two boxes. "I was simply going to ask: Point Break or Bad Boys II?" He grinned, holding up the two choices.
Ianto breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back, "Point Break" He replied.