Ianto turned over, away from the sunlight streaming in through the large, undressed loft windows. He fetched up against something warm and solid, and proceeded to burrow in, lured on by the lingering scent of Jack's unique aftershave.
Jack responded by holding Ianto closer and kissing his forehead fondly. "Morning, Tiger," he murmured. "Sleep well?"
"Uh huh."
Jack chuckled softly. "Not done sleeping yet? That's fine. Don't know about you, but I've got all day."
"How late is it?" Ianto muttered.
"Little after 7:30," Jack said. "Why, gotta date?"
"Yeah. Bloke said he'd make me breakfast. He can wait, though. This is nice."
Jack grinned and ran his hand down Ianto's back. "It is nice. And, yeah, he can wait. Sleep a bit, handsome."
Ianto decided that was a good idea and snuggled in, pressing his face against Jack's neck and letting himself drift back off for a little longer.
Jack continued to stroke Ianto's back for a while. It had been longer than he cared to admit since he'd woken up with someone else, and considering the false starts already this time around, Jack could only hope that this one would last. Ianto seemed quite understanding, but Jack knew there were limits and Ianto also seemed the sort of man who only put up with so much. He would appreciate Jack being direct about his ability to make and keep dates, that much Jack could tell. But how much could Jack really say? "I had to rush off last time because three Weevils discovered the joys of grain alcohol and apparently it acted as a psychotic drug in their alien biological systems"? Well, that was direct, all right, but then he'd have to explain what a Weevil was… and that would be the point where it all went tits-up.
Jack sighed. He really should have said he was Scotland Yard or something. But either way, he had no choice but to lie if he ever wanted any sort of relationship. The catch-22 was always that it was easier to lie to someone he didn't seriously respect and care about, but impossible to carry on a real relationship without that respect. It was so much harder to lie to someone with whom he truly wanted to build something. And there was something about this man, this Ianto Jones, that made Jack already want to build something.
Almost an hour later, Ianto began to wake again, shifting against Jack and yawning. "Hi," Ianto murmured.
"Hi," Jack said, kissing Ianto's forehead. "How you doing?"
Ianto yawned and stretched like a contented cat. "Hmm. Nice."
Jack chuckled. "Good to hear. Hungry? I'm happy to serve breakfast in bed, if you like."
"That sounds… decadent. But I think I'd actually rather help. Never really been entirely comfortable with people serving me. Makes me feel awkward."
"Ianto Jones, I think you need some decadence in your life. Not that I'd mind the company in the kitchen… or anywhere else. But, if you're amenable, I'd be more than happy to spoil you rotten."
"We'll see," Ianto smiled.
Jack kissed him again, then loosened his hold on Ianto and got out of bed. "How about you just relax a bit and I'll bring you a cup of tea before I hop in the shower?"
"Ok," Ianto said, enjoying the view of Jack sauntering off to the kitchenette without a stitch on.
After just a couple minutes, Jack came back to the bedroom and set a mug on the nightstand beside Ianto. "I won't be long," Jack said, kissing Ianto's cheek. "You can grab my dressing gown out of the closet if you want it. Of course, you don't have to wear anything at all," he grinned.
It was a tempting prospect, Ianto thought, having breakfast in the altogether with Jack. They'd only end up back in bed, though, he was sure. Not that that was a drawback, either.
Ianto hadn't even finished his cuppa before Jack was out of the shower again, walking into the bedroom in just a towel… around his shoulders. "So, what do you fancy for breakfast?" Jack asked. "I can do just about anything. Actually did the shopping the other day."
Ianto shrugged. "I'll have whatever you're having. Well, except for eggs. Never been keen on them. Anything else would be brilliant, though."
"No to eggs, got it. How about porridge, yoghurt, fresh fruit… maybe a bit of bacon, toast?"
"Sounds lovely."
"Good, I'll get to work. Shower's all yours if you want it."
Ianto nodded and headed for the shower. When he was done, he found a fresh cup of tea on the bathroom counter waiting for him. Once again he thought of how sweet and considerate Jack was with him, and hoped that this relationship had some kind of future, even in spite of Jack's difficult working hours.
Ianto hurried through showering and drying off and took up Jack's offer to use his dressing gown before joining him in the kitchen. Ianto tried not to show his disappointment at finding that Jack had put on a pair of pyjama pants. It only made sense as he was frying up some bacon, after all.
"What can I help with?" Ianto asked.
Jack leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You could… pull the tops of the yoghurt? Pop the bread in the toaster? The fruit is done, in the bowl in the fridge, and I'll just microwave the porridge for a minute when we're ready for it. There's fruit juice in the fridge, too, if you want a glass. You can have more tea, too. Are you a coffee drinker at all?"
Ianto had to smile. Jack obviously loved being the host and taking care of just about everything. "I am a coffee drinker, yes. Probably far too much of one, really. Guessing you're not?"
"Oh, I love coffee. But it's a skill that I am apparently not endowed with, because anytime I've tried making coffee, I end up making topsoil. There is a jar of instant, though, if you really want it…."
"No, that's quite alright, thanks. However, maybe next time I'm round, I'll bring some and brew you a proper cup. Do you have a brewer?"
"Yeah, under the counter. And I'd love to try your coffee, thanks," Jack said, plating the bacon and setting it on the already set kitchen table at just the same time that four slices of golden toast popped up. "Shall we?" Jack asked, pulling out a chair for Ianto.
"You've got a brilliant view here on the river," Ianto said. "I couldn't help enjoying that last week."
Jack sighed. "I'm sorry I missed it. But I'm glad we can enjoy it together now."
"Me too," Ianto smiled, squeezing Jack's hand.
"Actually… I was kind of thinking maybe we could talk about that. I mean, not last week in particular, but, you know, just my situation and, um, whatever this might become. If it's way too early – in this relationship or in the morning – just say so, because I don't want to rush anything…."
Handsome, confident, ridiculously good in bed… and still manages adorable awkwardness when he's serious, Ianto thought. He nodded. "No, we can talk about it. It's probably a good idea that we do and all." Now Ianto just had to hope that Jack didn't drop a bomb about a wife and three kids.
"Thing is… I can't really say very much at all. And I hate that fact, because I like you, a lot, and I don't like keeping things from people I care about. Basically, I can't tell you much more than just that I've signed the Official Secrets Act. So, hopefully, that goes some way to explaining why I'm sometimes – well, frequently – called away on a moment's notice, and never really know how long these things might take."
Ianto sat back for a moment. "Wow. Ok," he said after a while. "Well, that's not what I was expecting, but I suppose it's better than you being married or something."
Jack shook his head. "I am definitely not married."
"Can I ask you something? It's not specific or anything, just sort of general, about what you do."
"I'll answer you if I can."
"Is it dangerous? I mean, is there a possibility that you could get hurt, badly?"
How to answer that, Jack wondered. "Are you asking if there's a possibility that I could end up dead?"
"Bluntly, yes."
"The answer to that is no," Jack said honestly. "Nothing I do is going to kill me, I can assure you of that."
"And you do mean that? You're not just being cocky?"
"Oh no, I mean it. Trust me. You won't ever have to worry about losing me like that."
Ianto nodded. "I can accept that, then."
"Ok, good. I also promise that I'll do my best to let you know when I expect to be available. Right now, I think the best day for me is gonna be Thursday evening. I know you've probably got work Friday. I'd be happy with just a short morning with you. Or if you'd rather wait till we can have another morning off together, that's ok, too."
"I've got loads of time off I haven't used, maybe I'll just ask for Friday off as well. Shouldn't be a problem. Even if it is, I think I'd rather have the short morning as well. No reason to wait, is there? Time's precious, especially if you don't really know when you might be called away."
"You have no idea how right you are, Ianto Jones."