No spoilers
Beta-ed: GlassSplinter
Ianto woke up relaxed. The feeling was strange for him; he hadn't felt like that in ages. Only Lisa made him feel safe enough to relax. But she was gone. That made him sad, but the feeling was bearable, for the first time since the Cybermen came he could stand the thought of Lisa without falling into an abyss of terror. That was why he let her stay with him. He moved through his morning rituals slowly letting her accompany him. He could picture her moving simultaneously by his side. They had their morning ritual; she knew him so well that in her changing routine she didn't cross his path and disturb his well established rituals. At the end they would sit at the table across each other and she would smile with that proud smile. I did it again, it would say to him, I danced around you and didn't miss a bit. He loved that smile; because it told him that he could be loved, with his funny ways, and that he wasn't doomed to life of solitude. It was sad that she wasn't really in front of him, but he kept that sadness at bay just by picturing her there. When he closed his eyes he could almost smell her chocolate aromatic skin through the smell of his coffee.
Then he exhaled and let her go for now. He had to go to work and he couldn't bring her with him, Jack was there, it would be confusing to have them both in the same spot, then he would have to choose. He won't do that just yet. Jack was fun company and made him relax. He smiled while he was locking his door, he sure did relax him. Maybe it took a few hours too long but it was accomplished. It was early so he didn't take a taxi to work. He walked and enjoyed the morning breeze. People would pass him by grumpy and hunched in the fight against morning cold. Ianto breathed in deeply. Sometimes it was fun to be alive.
He arrived early; his car was on the parking lot alone. He opened and closed the door just to hear the slam. The hub was empty. He sorted out his tourist office from the mess that was left from the day before. Between Jack, cleaning the office area, and weevils he didn't even visit his spot. Then he descended to the main area. To his surprise everything still looked tied up. There was light in Jack's office. Of course, he smiled to himself. His endurance was starting to puzzle Ianto.
He'd heard rumors about Jack at Torchwood One, but most of them were just too wild to believe. There he was an almost mythic creature; someone who could cut off Yvonne and stay alive and kicking. Insubordinate was the most common opinion of him. That he could believe because the reports that came from Torchwood Three, at least the ones that ended up on his table, were so vague and detail-less. It was very clearly for someone who could read subtle messages, and he could believe that made him a good analyst, that he didn't give a damn about his superiors. That reports were just a courtesy, a way to give them illusion of control. For some reason he never pointed out that lack of information, instead he just gathered up what he could and pass it on. It seemed that no one else was bothered about the Cardiff branch. He was more interested than most because of his origin. It was cool to have a whole rift in space and time by his door step.
The other part of the rumors about Jack was about his sex life. There seemed to be a common belief that no person could resist the Captain's charms, even Yvonne. He highly doubted that. The pictures that he found showed that he was handsome but still, not that much.
Ianto was amused by irony of it all. He climbed up the stairs to bring Jack his morning coffee. Who would've said that the mysterious Jack would become something ordinary for him; someone who drank his coffee, and to whom he can do certain things?
Jack was preoccupied with some round artifact. He didn't even lift up his gaze, just waved his hand to gesture where to put his coffee. It could be considered like a morning ritual, something similar to dancing, but a lot less personal. Nevertheless it was something, some actions that were repeated, and some kind of continuity. Ianto liked continuity. He didn't mind the lack of contact, on the contrary.
Jack reached for his cup and lifted his head with his usual self-assured smile. Maybe that smile was the thing that encouraged the legend of his bedroom skills. When his eyes reached Ianto's face his face changed into something less smug, something almost real, there was surprise on his face, maybe fascination. Ianto wondered what triggered that change, but he wasn't too bothered. It was a nice change and he offered Jack his wider smile.
"Morning sir, everything seems in order. The others aren't here yet so I'll take the opportunity to sort out their reports from yesterday. If you need anything else I'll be in the archives."
"Whatever you say Ianto," Jack purred leaning back in his chair. He looked inviting but Ianto just nodded his head and headed for the door. He felt Jack's gaze on his back but didn't turn back. In one thing Jack was right, in some wayds he was the boss of their fling, whatever it was. Jack gave him the space to lead, and to back up if he feels like it. Maybe that was the thing that made him a mystic legend, his ability to adjust himself to the other person's limitations.