A/N: shorter one as promised.

Spoiler alert: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian

Gwen and Jack stood each on their side of the board room. Jack looked disturbed, emotional and sad. Ianto wondered about that for a moment but then John entered the room and Jack closed up his face and withdrew to the far corner. John threw himself in the chair lifting his boots on the table looking bored.

Gwen took charge and Jack tried to contradict her but he gave up after just a short glare. The signs were all over Jack showing his lack of confidence in confronting them in regaining his old place.

"With eyes like yours you can call me Vera" John said to Gwen and Ianto couldn't hold back his eyes from rolling.

"Ianto and Jack go west" Gwen said and Ianto glanced at Jack. Once again Jack backed down, agreeing with Gwen's lead. Of course John was full of disdain for them, managing to even warn them not to open bombs like they were children.

"Gwen I need a word" Jack finally said obviously deciding to handle her alone. Ianto thought it was a smart idea because with all of them in the room it was like the calm before the storm, if Jack crossed the line, questions and accusations would start flying around, with someone like John around in the audience it wouldn't be a very smart move. And Ianto couldn't help but notice that since John was in the picture every sign of Jack's flirtatious nature was gone, he was all serious and cautious. And it seemed like even he was irritated by John's sense of humour.

As Ianto exited the board room he started to feel anxious. Alone with Jack, he would have to pull up his best self, it was crucial for their further working relationship to maintain politeness and seriousness. After seeing John up close Ianto doubted he and Jack had any future. There weren't any similarities between two of them, and although Ianto despised the reckless and crude nature of John, he couldn't deny his provocative animalism, Ianto had none of that, and he would certainly not grow some of that danger or indifference just to draw Jack. Ianto appreciated himself and wasn't one to change easily.

Owen and Tosh equipped themselves in silence and Ianto followed their lead choosing a gun he could trust in. He threw a disgruntled glance at John's weapons. He would be glad just to lock it away, but he couldn't make that kind of decision, they had no grounds to take away his possessions outside of the Hub, he did have some weak excuse about saving some poor kid from a killer.

Owen threw disconcerted look in Ianto's way before exiting but chose to say nothing, he just nodded and went. Maybe it was disturbing enough that he didn't felt easy enough to throw some joke his way. Ianto heard Gwen and John approaching and carried out John's weapons to prevent him from entering the armoury. John took his weapons back examining Ianto with his cold eyes. Ianto stood firm under his gaze pretending he didn't notice it. It was an uncomfortable feeling, it was like John hated him back, but his hate wasn't like Ianto's, something protective and cautious, it was a sharp burning feeling and Ianto had hoped he was just imagining it.

Jack appeared in the office area only after Gwen and John disappeared on the invisible lift. He sighed and rubbed his face like he was trying to wipe away concern and sorrow but they were still there when he removed his palms from it. He smiled sadly at Ianto and led the way out. Ianto walked behind him resisting the urge to catch up with him and just embrace him from behind putting his palms above his heart just to soothe him. How strange would be if he really did that? Jack would surely Retcon him out of the Hub like a deranged stalker. Ianto was horrified by himself. Where did those desires come from? He understood the lust he felt for Jack, even certain dose of tenderness that formed before he left, but since he came back there was whole another level of feelings, gentle and angry ones, mostly protective ones, like he took him for his own not knowing when. He thought he was doing well without him, not that he was falling deeper in.

As Jack drove, more temperamental than ever, Ianto watched him from the corner of his eyes. Jack was deep in thought, serious and sad. Usually when he was like that Ianto would withdrew from him giving him space, or in that short period of time offer physical distraction, but now he wanted to be taken in, he wanted Jack to talk to him. Of course that would never happen, Jack never talked about himself, he only shared small anecdotal stories about people he knew, rarely about himself, but never seriously. Ianto knew that wouldn't change, Jack was closed up, but Ianto wished he could at least put his hand on Jack's to let him know he was there and he had noticed, maybe just to brush his fingers up his sleeve to his shoulder and to touch his jaw, but he did none of that. Ianto just kept staring through the window. He would have to get rid of those thoughts, they were most distracting.