"What time are we heading out today, Jack?" Tosh asked, glancing after the Welshman.
"I'm thinking 5 ish, Rift permitting. Are we going to meet at the Pub tonight or-" Gwen piped in.
"I have to pick up my Rhys, and Ianto will probably need to get their before all of us, to warm up and all that. I say we just meet there at, say 7:30?" Owen and Tosh nodded.
"Sounds good. Gives me enough time to clean up a bit." Tosh said and Owen looked at her seriously.
"You look great as you are." The pink staining her cheeks brought a smile to the immortal's face. He didn't know what sort of relationship that the dead man and the technician were in, or how it worked, but it suited the two of them, and he was happy for them.
Five o'clock rolled around, with Gwen already gone. Jack stood on the railing shouting down to Tosh.
"Does it look like the Rift will behave?" The technician checked her computer.
"Nothing shows up until tomorrow afternoon, looks like we might get what we want this evening." The captain smiled down.
"In that case, you go ahead home. You too Owen. Change your clothes. I know that you no longer produce body odor, but please, we get tired of seeing the same thing every day." The dead man looked slightly embarrassed.
"Yea, ok. See you at Tea-boy's concert." He grumbled, and Tosh ran up beside him.
"I'll walk with you out." Owen slowed, his pace joining that of the technician. They walked out of the HUB doors, leaving the Captain to find his lover.
"Ianto?" He shouted, with no response. The Captain was slightly panicked, not liking the silence. He knew that the HUB was massive, and that Ianto was probably ok, yet still he felt uneasy. His Welshman was hiding something from him, and that hurt.
Ianto sat in his archives, rifling through stacks of paperwork, correcting, writing, filing. It had a soothing effect, the monotony. He used the repetitive tasks to distance himself from reality. A way of detaching for a few moments and gathering his wits about him. Tonight would be a challenge. Not only did he have to preform, which on it's own was enough to make him panic. But tonight he has to perform in front of people he knew, people that knew him. He couldn't hide behind his stage persona tonight. Gareth Lloyd wouldn't be performing, it would be Ianto Jones. The quiet, reserved Archivist for Torchwood 3. The one who makes coffee and runs a tourist shop. The Welshman sighed, his head falling onto his arms as he tried to shove his feelings down. He had to get himself together, or this evening would never happen.
The immortal felt a sense of loathing trickling into his senses, and recognized it as coming from his lover. He followed it down to the archives. Frightened by what it could mean. He saw Ianto scribbling furiously at a piece of paper in front of him, before sighing and dropping his head onto his arms in a huff. The captain chuckled softly, before stepping forward and placing his hands on his lover's shoulders
"Filling out reports really that frustrating?" The Welshman groaned, sitting up and resting his head on the captain's stomach.
"I'm nervous for tonight." He said, and Jack began rubbing the Archivist's shoulders.
"Nervous to perform, or nervous for your friends to find out about me." Ianto sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hands.
"Both? Neither? I really don't know Jack." The immortal nodded, working out the knots in his lover's shoulders.
"Well, I've seen you perform in videos. You are amazing, there really is nothing to be worried about there."
"But there is. That isn't me Jack. That's my stage persona. It's like a whole other state of mind. When I slip into that, I'm not the bashful archivist from Torchwood 3. I'm a confident and talented 20 something that is the front man for Blue Gillespie. That's Gareth Lloyd." Jack wrapped his arms around his lover, resting his chin on the Welshman's head.
"The Ianto Jones that I know, is a handsome, intelligent, talented man, who has faced more danger bravely, in his 29 years, than I have in my 150. If you think that performing in front of your coworkers is scary, remember that you've survived almost being eaten by cannibals." Ianto chuckled.
"Comparatively, it does seem a bit ridiculous to have stage fright." The captain laughed. Ianto stood, turning to Jack and wrapping his arms around the Captains midsection.
"As for introducing you to the band, well, that will be interesting, considering half the band believes that I have a secret girlfriend." Jack looked at Ianto quizzically.
"You didn't correct them?" The Welshman shrugged.
"I didn't know that they thought that until I called Rhys this morning. Besides, I'm kind of interested to see what their reaction will be." Jack squeezing his lover lightly, before stepping back and takeing his hand.
"Well we will never know if we stay here. Come on, let's get home, the others have already left." Ianto glanced at his watch. 5:30.
"Alright then." The two men walked, hand in hand, out of the HUB and to the SUV.