Ianto settled the two aliens into the cushioned back of the van, Glib clutching the mug of coffee tightly. Tapped the side of the thermos, a soft red light illuminating it. He whispered fervently to them.
"I don't trust UNIT to take you where you need to be. I'll be tracking you both." He glanced behind him, seeing the two UNIT soldiers conversing together.
"If they give you any trouble, open the lid and press the button. It's a distress beacon." Glib nodded and Fall lightened slightly.
"Thank you Ianto Jones. We are most grateful for your kindness. I only hope your partner treats you as well as you've treated us." Ianto smiled, stretching out with his feelings to try and find his lover. Instead he was met with emptiness, a hollow cold that made his whole body ache.
"Take care of yourselves, yea?" Fall knotted his tentacles around Glib protectively.
"We will take care of each other, as you take care of yours." Ianto blinked, worrying his lip slightly.
"Alright then, goodbye Glib, Fall." He nodded at them in turn before ducking out of the van. All the Archivist wanted to do was go and talk to Jack, but the short blonde in the tottering heels stood before him, an expression of absolute hunger crossing her face. She eyed him openly, suggestively, and Ianto's stomach churned at the waves of desire flowing off of her.
"So, Mr. Jones, I see Captain Harkness' call-back tone wasn't lying, you really are gorgeous" Ianto pressed his lips together firmly, suppressing an eye roll.
"Oh? I may need to have a chat with him about that then." Ianto backed around the woman, her gaze never leaving his. Ianto nearly stumbled, feelings of warmth and strength pouring over him through his once empty bond. The woman's grin grew wider.
"I've also heard that your coffee is to die for." Ianto turned walking away from the woman. He really hoped Jack could feel how uncomfortable he was.
Jack could indeed. He shivered, Owen gripping his arm lightly as he tottered forward, a renewed strength filling him, warming him. Owen looked at jack, concerned.
"Jack, what's wrong?" The Captain ignored him, rushing over to the lift. Owen looked over at Tosh.
"Wonder what trouble Tea-boy is in to get Jack that riled.
"So are you shagging him, or is it a relationship." She taunted, wanting a reaction from the delectable Welshman. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"Ex-Excuse me?" He spun on his heels, posture rigid.
"Or he could be shagging you. Either way it has to be casual. Harkness doesn't do relationships." By now Ianto was fuming. Who was this woman to come and question him like this, to try and pry the latest gossip from him. Ianto wanted to rail at her. To scream that Jack was his boyfriend, that they were living together, but then he remembered the embarrassment that he felt slip through the immortal's barriers at the thought of UNIT finding out. Ianto looked the woman strait in the eye, keeping his mouth shut against the truths he wanted to spew.
"Oh, so there is something there then. Interesting. I can see why, power is attractive, and Jack does seem to be very powerful." The lieutenant tottered up to Ianto, her chest a mere breath from his, her fingers ghosting across his arm. Ianto stood, giving no reaction to her words.
"Do you find power attractive, Mr. Jones?" she wrapped a slender finger around his tie forcing him to look down. "I have a whole army at my fingertips. I'm just a few ranks away from running UNIT. What does your Captain have, hmm? A few alien gadgets?" Ianto was seething now, anger rolling off of him in waves. Anger at her for question Jack, for being so pretentious. Anger at Jack for not letting him speak. Anger at himself for not speaking. The woman tugged harder on his tie. "Nothing to say, coffee boy?" She leaned forward her lips ghosting over his. "What does Jack have that I don't." That presence, that strong and reassuring wall behind his thoughts.
"Well for one thing, him for a boyfriend." The lieutenant rocked back on her heels, stepping away from Ianto and turning to Jack, venom in her words.
"A relationship with Captain Jack Harkness? That must be some amazing coffee." She licked her lips slightly, and Ianto wanted to hurl. This was turning the sadistic woman on?
"Aside from that, great hair, classic fashion taste, a penis." Ianto cringed inwardly at the last point. Jack could be so crude at times. "Really, you should be asking what you have that he could possibly want." Jack slipped a strong hand onto the small of the Welshman's back. Bracing him, flooding him with warmth. The blonde woman, looked over the two of them, a cruel smile curling her lips.
"If he is so deep into this relationship with you, why didn't he say anything?" Ianto tensed again, feeling his cheeks flush with shame. Jack's grip on the Welshman grew more firm.
"I may have given him reason, as of late, to believe that I didn't want others knowing of our relationship." Jack's gaze never faltered from the lieutenants. "That I was embarrassed by him, which couldn't be further from the truth." Ianto's cheeks flooded with warmth again, and his heart went out to the Captain, apologetic, excepting.
"And you aren't?" She scoffed heels clicking as she crossed her feet before her.
"Not in the slightest, I was embarrassed, however, at having UNIT know of how thoroughly he shagged me last night." Jack's own grin grew cruel. "Something that you will never experience, so long as Ianto will have me.
Ianto's heart sputtered in his chest, was Jack serious? He looked at the set of the immortal's jaw, the way he stood at attention. Ianto reached out once more through their bond. He could feel Jack bracing him, holding firmly to him. Ianto let himself melt into that connection. Ianto spoke, Jack's words carrying him along.
"Lieutenant Ulrich, need I remind you that you have a job to do, and soldiers to order about." The woman spun on her heels, feeling herself dismissed, but Ianto still had words to be said.
"Ma'am, to answer your question, I don't find power attractive. And your thirst for it sickens me." She kept moving, her pace quickening. "Oh, and I feel as though it will be in your best wishes to refrain from thrusting yourself upon any other person you deem attractive, it may prove detrimental to your, shall we say, desired rise of the ranks." The woman straitened, her steps clipped as she rushed back to her van. Ianto called after her, "And don't even think of exacting any sort of punishment on our guests, remember, we'll be watching." The blonde practically leaped into the van, the vehicle pulling out no sooner than she could shut the door. As soon as the van was out of sight Ianto melted into Jack's side, exhausted.
"I'm sorry sir, I let that situation get way out of hand." Jack wrapped his arm around the Welshman's waist, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head.
"It's my fault, you were just doing what you thought I wanted." Jack paused in their walk, pulling Ianto's head to his chest. "It's going to take some work, you and I, especially with this link." Ianto pulled back slightly.
"Would you rather it be gone?" He whispered, Jack pushed their foreheads together.
"I tried that earlier. I wanted you not to feel me, to have one fewer voice crowding your head." Ianto winced, remembering the hollow ache.
"Jack, that hurt me worse than you being there, as I told you before, You're the only one that doesn't hurt. When the others get too much I melt into you." The immortal nodded.
"So to answer your question, no, I don't want to sever that, and I was serious earlier, I felt you questioning that." Jack took Ianto's hands in his, kissing the knuckles.
"Ianto Jones, I want to be yours as long as you'll have me." Ianto rolled his eyes, slipping his arms around the immortal.
"You'll have a terribly long wait to get out of that if I get my way." Jack grinned again, pressing his lips to his Welshman's ear.
"Is that a promise?" Ianto shivered at the warm puffs of breath hitting his neck.
"Yes." Jack kissed Ianto's cheek lightly, the gesture receiving a light laugh from the Archivist.
"Back to work then, sir, this is still Torchwood." Jack groaned. They both stepped onto the lift.
"Oh, and apparently, Owen and Tosh wanted to talk to you about something." The lift rose, and Ianto frowned.
"Any idea?" Jack took a deep breath.
"They seem to have figured out about your empathy." The Welshman simply nodded, resigned.
"You're not upset?" Ianto shrugged, indifference rolling off him.
"They would find out eventually, and it might help having them know, Gwen however-" He let the words fall as the lift came to a halt. Jack nodded.
"Gotcha, and Yan, don't let her get to ya, yea? You're the one I will always come home to, and she's just jealous." Ianto rolled his eyes, smiling at the warmth of the immortal's statement. He took a deep breath, before stepping off the lift.