Same Ianto, Different Jack

Chapter 7

by Gracefultree

.

.

.

Owen's footsteps in the hall outside his cell woke Ianto. Zombie-Owen, he decided, with his tentative steps because he couldn't feel the floor beneath his feet now that he was dead and had to actually look where he was going and what he was doing. He remembered falling asleep while holding New Jack, in the bunker, though he didn't remember going back to the cell. New Jack must have carried him down.

"Rise and shine," Owen declared with a hint of bitterness and jealousy in his voice. Ianto remembered that the doctor no longer needed sleep. Or food, or water, or sex. "Time for me to check you for alien influences."

Ianto got up and rubbed sleep from his eyes. "Just a physical, or are there embarrassing extra tests?" he asked. He folded the blanket New Jack had draped over him.

Owen paused before answering. "Just a physical."

"All right, then," Ianto agreed. He noted the gun and handcuffs in Owen's hands, as well as the bandage around the last two fingers on his left hand. So this Owen didn't heal, either, Ianto thought to himself. "Standard procedure for transporting potentially dangerous prisoners in the Hub?" Owen nodded. "Can I wear my shoes? Jack gave them to me."

"Yeah, why not?" Owen answered. Ianto put on his shoes, walked to the back of the cell, faced the wall and put his hands behind his back. Owen snapped the cuffs into place. "Come on," Owen said. He pointed his gun at Ianto. "You're in front."

Ianto rolled his eyes and started walking. "Any chance of a trip to the loo?" He asked, a foix innocent expression on his face.

"Fuck you, Jones," Owen retorted. "I'm not holding your dick while you pee."

Ianto laughed. New Owen was remarkably similar to his usual Owen. He suspected Tosh would be, too. The major differences were with Jack and Gwen. "Will the whole team be watching?"

"They're not getting anywhere near you until we figure out this pheromone thing."

In the autopsy bay, Owen went through the usual routine, including bloodwork, reporting aloud what he found. Ianto assumed that the others were in the conference room listening in and potentially watching on the CCTV. One of Owen's machines beeped and he turned his back on Ianto to look at the results. As soon as he realized what he'd done, he whipped back around, gun raised in case Ianto had moved to attack him, since his hands were free of the restraints. Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"Really, Owen? I know you. You're my friend, sort of. I know that you can't heal. I won't do anything."

Owen visibly relaxed and returned the gun to the waistband of his jeans. He turned back to his monitor. "Shit," Owen swore under his breath. He pressed his comms. "Jack? Can you come down here?"

"It's the pheromones, isn't it?" Ianto asked softly. "You know they're not mine. Can you do me a favor and not tell Gwen?"

Owen glanced at him suspiciously, but moved closer so he could hear. He made a gesture at the camera. "Why?"

"Because Jack's miserable with her," Ianto replied so quietly Owen almost didn't catch it. "He might not be My Jack from my universe, but he's still Jack, and I want to help him. You've known him for a while, right? You knew him before Gwen arrived. Wasn't he happier? Wasn't he a better leader? More confident?"

"Yeah," Owen whispered, as if he'd only just thought of it. "Yeah, he was."

Jack arrived at the railing above the autopsy bay. "What's up?" he asked, his eyes moving between the two men.

"Where's Gwen?" Owen asked.

"Not in yet," Jack replied. "Why?"

"I know about the pheromones. This one -" he jerked a thumb at Ianto, "- doesn't want me to tell her."

New Jack blinked a few times, surprised. "Oh, um, yeah, that would be good," he finally said. "But you could tell Tosh privately, if you think that's ok?" he asked Ianto, who shrugged and nodded.

"So, other than that, everything looks fine," Owen declared. "He's a perfectly healthy human with minor residual Rift energy, but that's expected, given that he got here by taking a ride on the -"

The cog wheel door opened with it's usual fanfare and Gwen rushed in. She spotted New Jack immediately.

"You didn't come home last night!" she accused loudly, not bothering to pay attention to Owen or Ianto. She poked New Jack in the chest.

"No, I didn't," New Jack answered, keeping his voice calm even as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "We have a prisoner and I was staffing the Hub." He puffed out his chest and crossed his arms over it. Gwen fumed.

"Really? Is that it? Weren't tempted to sniff the pheromones again?"

"No, actually," New Jack answered snippily. "Check the CCTV if you don't believe me," he barked. Gwen pushed her hair out of her eyes and went to do just that. Owen continued prodding Ianto for a while. Just as Ianto was buttoning his shirt again, Gwen came over and dragged New Jack away to his office. He and Owen could clearly hear them shouting at each other, though the closed door kept them from hearing the words.

Toshiko slipped down the steps and introduced herself. Ianto smiled brightly at her and gave her a big hug. Startled, she backed away. Ianto just smiled and stayed where he was, perched on the autopsy table.

"Thank you for cleaning last night," she said softly. "I saw it on the CCTV. It looks great in here."

"You're welcome. If you can convince Jack to give me a job, I'll keep the place even cleaner. Maybe I'll take a whack at the Archives."

"That would be brilliant," she said. "But right now you don't have to. I mean, it'd be like taking advantage of you." They all paused. "What were you doing up? And out of the cell?"

"I couldn't sleep, so Jack and I were talking. He wanted me to take a look at the coffee machine," Ianto answered smoothly. "I told him that's a big part of what I did at my Torchwood, and he wanted a taste. Didn't get to it, unfortunately, but we'll see what happens."

"What are Harkness and Cooper fighting about?" Owen asked, noting that the shouting got slightly louder.

"He didn't come home last night, he didn't pick up the laundry or dry cleaning, he didn't cook, even though yesterday was his day. The usual," she replied with a casual shrug.

"What's that? Three out of the last four he wasn't at home?"

"Yeah. And seven of the last ten. If she really thinks they're getting married next week, I think she's in for a rude awakening," Tosh confirmed. "He might not be sleeping around yet, but mark my words, he will within the first year."

"Tosh, that's so pessimistic of you," Owen joked. "Keep it up and I'll be out of a job."

"You don't agree?"

"I think it'll be within the week, if he keeps Jones here around," Owen told her. They both glanced at Ianto. "Right, mate?"

Ianto felt himself blushing. "Right," he whispered. "If that's what Jack wants. I gave him my conditions for a sexual relationship with me. He has to decide if he wants it badly enough."

"What are the conditions?" Owen asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"They're private," Ianto said, his blush deepening.

"No Gwen," Tosh guessed. Ianto looked at her in surprise. "I can see how much it upsets you," she explained. Ianto slowly nodded.

"No Gwen," he repeated.

Tosh and Owen looked at each other. "Within the week," Tosh murmured.

Above them, New Jack's door slammed open and the man himself charged out. "- and if you can't deal with it, I'll -" he was shouting.

"You'll what?" Gwen shouted back. "Leave me? I think we all know that's ridiculous. You need me!"

"Whatever," he muttered. New Jack climbed down the steps and offered Ianto a hand up. Ianto gratefully accepted, letting his fingers linger on New Jack's palm without conscious thought. Gwen's eyes widened when she saw it.

"Thanks," Ianto said gruffly.

"I'll escort him back to his cell," New Jack declared loudly, shoving Ianto up the stairs.

"Jack!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Look, Gwen, there are a dozen cameras between here and there, not to mention the three on the hallway and cell itself." He pointed at Owen's computer. "If you don't trust me to be able to walk him down there without a chaperone, you can watch, all right?" He growled.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Ianto muttered under his breath, upset at how New Jack had just touched him. New Jack propelled him towards the lower levels. At the first stairway, the small, three-step one, New Jack pushed Ianto forcefully, still grumbling to himself about Gwen. Ianto stumbled down the steps, catching himself at the last moment because of years of practice.

Ianto hauled back and punched New Jack in the jaw.

"Ianto! What the fuck?"

"If you ever lay your hands on me like that again, or hit me when we're not doing a scene, I will leave you," Ianto snarled, low and fierce. "And I will ruin you while I do it. I know things about you, Captain Jack Harkness, and I won't hesitate to use that knowledge."

New Jack stood there, a hand raised to his bruised cheek, his mouth hanging open, completely poleaxed.

"I will do a lot of things for you, Jack. I will be your butler and Archivist and lover, but I will not let you abuse me. And I won't be your punching bag when you're having a row with Gwen. Do I make myself clear?"

Before New Jack could respond, Owen and Gwen appeared, guns drawn and pointed at Ianto.

"Everything ok, Jack?" Gwen asked, her eyes not leaving Ianto.

New Jack swallowed, glancing at Ianto out of the corner of his eye, who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, ignoring the guns pointed at him. "It's fine," New Jack said. "I just put my foot in my mouth," he explained. "You can go back upstairs. I'll be right there."

Owen looked to Gwen, and she nodded. They holstered their guns and left, Gwen still watching them suspiciously for a few more steps. New Jack turned to Ianto.

"Look, I'm -"

"Do you understand?" Ianto asked again.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It won't happen again."

Ianto nodded and relaxed his arms. His demeanor shifted to playful. "By the way," he added with a wink, "my safeword is Polly." He started walking towards the cellsa swing in his step and a sashay in his hips, and New Jack had to jog to catch up to him because he stared at Ianto's ass for too long. He leaned in to whisper in Ianto's ear as soon as they were around the corner.

"So you've got a kinky side, huh? Wanna play doctor?"

Ianto sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "No, Jack. Not really. I'd rather have some coffee, actually. And breakfast." New Jack pouted. It reminded Ianto so much of His Jack that when the next CCTV blindspot came, he shoved New Jack against the wall and kissed him. He pulled away far too soon for either of them. "Get me some paper and a pen. I'll give you a list of what I need. Make sure I get it, and you'll get more kisses later, yeah?"

"Yeah," New Jack responded, dazed. He shook himself. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"I don't know, make me feel like you care about me even as you're telling me what to do. Gwen tells me what to do all the time and I don't want to do it, but end up doing it anyway to keep from having a row. But even just now when I messed up and made you angry..." He trailed off, not sure how to put his feelings into words.

Ianto sighed sadly and raised a hand to cup New Jack's cheek in an affectionate, intimate gesture he'd been wanting to do with His Jack but hadn't felt secure enough to actually do. He sensed that New Jack needed it, and if he was any kind of gentleman, Ianto knew it would be cruel to withhold it. He stroked New Jack's cheek with his thumb. "I do care," he answered softly. He gave New Jack a peck on the lips and turned away. "Better not linger too long in the blindspot," he said over his shoulder.

They ended up pausing for a few minutes at each blindspot to kiss, and at the last one Ianto decided enough was enough. They jerked each other off hurriedly, knowing they didn't have much time because Gwen was watching the CCTV.

"Why does it feel so good with you?" New Jack wondered aloud as he licked Ianto's cum from his hand.

"I'm new?" Ianto suggested, licking his own hand clean. "I know your body because of My Jack's?"

"Will you let me sneak you up to my bed again tonight?"

"Have you made your decision?"

"I'm getting there. I need to know you a little better, first."

"Then we'll talk about it tonight. I don't want you getting into it with your team over me."

"They won't catch us, unless we sleep through my alarm. I altered the CCTV in a way not even Tosh can crack. It just shows you cleaning, then going back down here. I can do something different for tonight."

They stopped in front of Ianto's cell. "I'll see you later," Ianto said, leaning forward for a final kiss. New Jack jerked back before their lips could touch. "Sorry!"Ianto exclaimed, remembering Gwen watching. It was becoming a heady turn-on.

New Jack shrugged and opened the cell. "Maybe later?"

"Maybe later," Ianto agreed, walking in and sitting down. New Jack tossed him a bottle of water and more of those energy bars from before.

"Save those for in case we get called out and can't get you dinner on time. I'll make sure you get some coffee and breakfast."

New Jack closed the cell and walked away, after a lingering look at Ianto.