Hello, here is new chapter. Hope you'll like it. Thank you for following this story. This one I dedicate to paulaloveremus because she talks to me :)
No spoilers
Beta-ed: TattooedLibrarian (who makes time difference doesn't count)
"Ianto we have to move" there was a whisper from the door and Jack looked up to see Gwen in a maid's uniform, she had deep bags under her eyes, and she looked older, without a spark, her eyes met Jack's and for a brief moment there was a spark in her eyes just to be replaced with drowning sadness.
"We missed this queue, Jack is staying." Ianto informed her not moving away from Jack, Gwen moved towards them.
"How do you mean" her voice got higher "we came to get you, to bring you home with us, everything is going smoothly, Tosh says the ship is sleeping."
"Gwen" Ianto said with a strong and determined tone and she looked at him "Jack is staying, he has a task here, now go, Tosh is waiting, it's your turn, and I'll take the queue in ten."
She nodded but then she threw herself around Jack's neck.
"Come home, we need you" she whispered and then she took off. Jack looked at her back shocked.
"Ok Grumpy, Big Eyes is on her way, Tea Boy will be in ten, Seagull is not coming." Ianto said to his com.
"Seagull? Really? Not Big Chief, Handsome Hero?" Jack joked but Ianto just glared at him. "What is Tosh?"
"Brain" said Ianto briefly and went to stand beside the door.
Jack watched his back regretting so many things, but feeling light, they were alive.
"So" Jack started deciding that he wouldn't miss out on this opportunity to talk "they've chosen you to lead, I would never guess that."
"They didn't" he answered without glancing back.
"It sure sounded like you're in charge, even Owen didn't argue, man he didn't listen to me like that without a retort or doubt."
Ianto sighed and his shoulders slumped down.
"I'm good at infiltrating and deceiving." Jack smirked admitting that he was good at that. "Besides" he added somewhat bitter. "Owen isn't himself, none of them are. I had to take charge" he said heavily.
"How do you mean?" Jack was alarmed. "What's wrong with them?"
"All of this" Ianto gestured with his hand showing around. "Owen shut down after we managed to take the flying ball that we took down to the Hub. He and Tosh worked for days trying to open it, when they succeeded and he ran tests on the dead alien he went mad. He burned the alien's remains and all the samples, deleted his records and refused to tell us what he found. After that, he just sits and stares at the wall, he moves only when we find some casualties." Ianto paused for a second and Jack thought he wouldn't continue. "Tosh closed herself up after we saw the footage of Japan burning, since then she's been buried in a computer mumbling in Japanese. And Gwen, well you've seen, Gwen without Rhys isn't really herself; I came to understand why she fought for him so hard."
"Yes I remember" Jack said bitterly and Ianto finally turned towards him. He looked at him deciding something, when he reached his decision he sighed and unbuttoned his suit jacket and put his hands on his hips like he does after hard day's work.
"Jack, remember when we turned on you" he said looking at the floor "we'd been tricked and I saw..." Ianto paused stumbling over his words slightly like he sometimes does.
"I know" Jack jumped in trying to make it easier "you saw Lisa."
"Let me say this Jack" Ianto snapped waving his hand around "yes I saw Lisa" his stammer disappeared but he still looked down "but she didn't offer me to stay, to come back, she just said that people will die, a lot of people, that's why I listened to her, to do the right thing, not to get her back." He finished and turned back to the door looking at his watch, not the pocket watch, but the one on his wrist. Jack smiled to his back feeling suddenly relaxed and confident.
"Ianto" Jack called his name like an exclamation and Ianto turned towards Jack bewildered, Jack grinned at him widely and Ianto's eyes darted down to his mouth "you know you're play rescuing hero rather poorly. You have here damsel in distress strapped down and have a plan to leave her without so much as a kiss."
"A kiss?" Ianto's eyebrows went up in surprise.
"Yeah, a kiss, if I counted it correctly you owe me two kisses, or I'm in the lead by two kisses, can't decide how to look at it" Jack pondered and Ianto relaxed looking at him under his eyebrows intensively.
"You've counted" Ianto said with low and suddenly husky voice, Jack held his breath watching transformation in Ianto's posture. It was like he unknotted himself, his hips swayed with his steps while he approached Jack slowly. On his lips played small almost unnoticeable smile and his eyes turned into warm shade of blue. Jack shivered; when Ianto reached him his breath was short.
Ianto stopped right in front of him almost touching but just out of reach.
"You always were such a tease" grunted Jack breathing heavy. Ianto smiled and Jack stopped breathing. It was one of those rare smiles that reached his eyes, warm and soft. Then Ianto stepped that half of a step closer and pressed himself against Jack's body.
"Who would say you're the one to wait" said Ianto quietly his breath ghosting against Jack's lips.
"Well" Jack whispered without movement "you always were the boss of this."
Ianto chuckled and Jack could feel the movement on his stomach.
"Guess I was" Ianto leaned in putting his hands on Jack's hips lightly and just brushed his lips against Jack's. It was a soft kiss and Ianto pulled away after a moment. "That's one" he said and Jack just watched his face taking it in, memorising. Then Ianto took his right hand to Jack's face and put his palm on his jaw stroking his face lightly with his thumb. "It's not bad really" Ianto's voice was cheerful, his eyes content, and his eyebrows lifted "to have you fixed like this, I would always know where to find you."
Jack's breath became heavy when all the possibilities and naked images stormed into his head, Ianto's eyes narrowed turning dark and his hands moved to the back of Jack's neck and small of his back pressing him into Ianto. Ianto's mouth clashed to Jack's hungrily this time claiming him. Jack responded instantly leaning in until his arms started to hurt, but he didn't even notice. There was a smell of Ianto, his taste, his body and Jack wanted to devour him, he didn't want to hold back, to spare him. He wanted to let his inner shark go and claim him, to find everything he could find, take anything that was offered and now he knew Ianto would let him.
After too short a time of stubbles brushing, tongues exploring and bodies trying to press into each other Ianto pulled back still not letting go, just moving his head away. He breathed heavily.
"And now we're even" He said calmly like his chart was somewhere near and he would note the score and Jack believed it for a second, he forgot where he was. It was frustrating really that he couldn't move further in, Ianto was out of reach. Ianto rubbed his back finding a way under his shirt to his skin and Jack gasped with surprise, it was so long since anybody touched him and his skin did crave it. Like he knew Ianto's hand went up and he brushed gently the whole length of his back. Jack closed his eyes and hummed aware that Ianto watched him closely, but he didn't mind, he trusted Ianto, and his gaze was healing as much as his hand. It was too long that he was watched only by the Master and he forgot how he looked through gentler eyes. He could feel now how he looked through Ianto's eyes and he was amazed how he let himself fall that deep.
"Jack" he heard Ianto whisper his name but the touch continued so he didn't open his eyes absorbing the warmth.
"Yeah?" he muttered.
"It's not your fault, any of this, it's just not" Ianto said softly and Jack's eyes shot open staring at him terrified. Out of all the things he said Ianto heard that one. He didn't back down but moved his hand around Jack's chest and rested it on his heart warm and soft. "You were just looking for the answers you deserve. If you stumbled upon a monster and woke him up, we know they are all around; it doesn't make you guilty for what he does. You could never be like that, ever. You have too much of a heart for it." With that he placed a short kiss on Jack's shocked mouth and said with cocky grin "And now I'm in the lead."
"You cocky bastard" Jack was stunned and impressed.
Ianto shrugged his shoulders humbly "I do try sir" he said and then took a deep breath changing his face to his usual polite manner retrieving his hands from Jack's skin.
"Right then" he said like he'd just brought him coffee "time to go" he pressed his lips in a tight smile and nodded stepping backwards. Jack blinked trying to keep his composure. Ianto turned around but stopped when he reached the door. He turned his profile to Jack not looking back.
"And Jack" he called out.
"Mhm" was all that Jack could produce.
"If you're wrong and end up stuck here forever, I will come back" his tone was menacing.
"And what" Jack smirked "kill me?"
"No Jack, I'll let him kill me" he glanced back and smiled like an innocent child and Jack felt like all the air had left his lungs.
"Ianto" Jack managed to voice out harshly "I will come back for you."
Ianto's lips curved up and his face was filled with humour and irony "Sure you will Jack" and with that he slipped away.
Jack listened how his footsteps disappeared in the distance. When he couldn't hear it anymore he let his legs slump under him and hung on his hands. He let his tears drop to the floor. He wasn't alone, they weren't dead, and Ianto came. It was too much for Jack to take and not crumble down. His heart ached.
After a while he heard the camera moving in the silence searching for him so he stood up and took a step back to his previous position, the one he stood in before Ianto came in. Everything must look the same so he closed his eyes knowing he couldn't wipe away his tears and that the Master would notice them and savour his sorrow but it didn't matter, not anymore. Ianto came in and even if it seemed like nothing had changed, everything did. Jack would not show any signs of that change, nor would he show his fear or pain. Not because of the Master but because Toshiko controlled that camera and Owen beside her could see him, because Gwen would enter at any moment and Ianto right behind her. They could watch him and because they cared, his pain would hurt them. He hoped they wouldn't watch too often but he knew Ianto would. That made him feel better, he wasn't alone here and that made a world of difference.
When the Master came in he found him standing and calm, Jack even managed to smile at him.
"So freak, you finally started to enjoy this as much as I do" he said exhilarated and Jack almost laughed with relief. They managed to get away unnoticed. He bit down that smile and turned it into a stare.
"Don't you remember" the Master shouted with a frown "I don't like when you stare" and with those words he struck him down. Jack didn't listen to him anymore, he focused himself on good memories, the same ones about his team, but now they weren't coloured with guilt and pain. He wasn't the monster in the room. That realization was all that he needed to get through all this.
He didn't think of Ianto during his time with the Master, he didn't want to share that. Those memories he saved for quiet times in between when he could imagine Ianto watch over him, waiting.