A/N: here is Ianto cornered, enjoy.
No spoilers
Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian, it's our 100th chapter together, so thank you :)
Ianto felt surrounded by the raging crowd. He kept repeating to himself that no one was looking at him, and that they are far away from him but it didn't help. He kept expecting everyone to look straight at him and shout at him, running to tear him down.
"Well now that we're here wouldn't it be best to go and get to the Hub" Jack startled him, showing up by his elbow. Ianto looked at him and his mind started to work again. It was Jack, he wasn't afraid of him. On shore his anxiety and fear became stronger.
"I can't move" Ianto managed to voice out to Jack. Jack looked him and smiled mischievously.
"I can carry you" he said with a growl in his voice "but I'll have to find a bed for us because you just look yummy."
Ianto closed his eyes as the images that Jack provoked evened out his fears, ignoring both sides of his feelings he was able to get a coherent thought.
"The Hub isn't far ahead" he said fixing his gaze straight forward "we just need to stay focused."
"All business again" Jack pouted "just my luck to be filled with stimulants and stuck with the one person that is resistant."
"Find someone else if you like" Ianto snapped at him finally able to stand up straight, his anger pushed the other emotions down "but we need to sort this out before dawn, remember. Raise your damn protection already?"
"That's no fun" Jack sighed "and I want you, I want to make you scream and beg to lose your senses, and sweat a lot." As he spoke he moved closer to Ianto like a predator, but Ianto wasn't unnerved by his approach. At contrary he found himself strangely calmed by that.
"Jack you need to think now" Ianto's voice was calm again, deep and reassuring. "We'll be better in the Hub, maybe the basement will protect us, and maybe Tosh and Owen thought of something."
"Yes" Jack sighed disappointed "duty, as always, nothing as tasteful as your neck." After that his face hardened and he grabbed Ianto by his upper arm and led the way towards that Hub.
As they moved purposely it seemed that the people in their sleep were attracted to them and soon they were running trying to shake the crowd that was closing in.
"I mean really," Jack panted as they closed Tourist office door "I love slumber parties as much as any other guy, but I prefer them to be pyjama-less."
Ianto just snorted at that and pushed the button to open the Hub doors, but he found himself pressed face to the wall.
"Fun now?" Jack whispered in his ear and Ianto felt a chill all over his skin.
"Move away" he said evenly.
"Why?" Jack whined. "We have a minute to spare... or two... or an hour, I would like an hour... or more..." he was cut down when Ianto shoved his elbow in his abdomen.
Ianto jumped towards the corridor when Jack moved away.
"What was that for?" Jack shouted when he got his breath back. Ianto heard his footsteps as he ran behind him, but he wasn't closing in on him so Ianto started to breathe again.
While Ianto waited for the cog door to open Jack stood a few steps behind. Ianto tapped his fingers against his thigh waiting.
"Sorry" he finally said when door were open and he could see the open space of the Hub. "Panic isn't really stimulating for me."
"Panic? What for?" Jack was baffled but Ianto just ran in and started to turn on stations.
"The sooner we fix this, the sooner there will be time for fun" he said looking at readings, the Rift was calm. Of course it wouldn't be as easy as shooting down one alien.
"Why didn't you say so" Jack lightened up and tossed his coat aside rolling up his sleeves "let's get down to business."
As Ianto looked at the readings and nonexistence of any abnormality he started to feel despair. He grabbed his hair and pulled until it hurt, but it didn't help.
"Ianto" Jack's voice pulled him out his trance, he sounded almost normal "won't you make us some coffee, dear." Almost normal, his tone was too lithe, too soft.
"I will" he answered letting his hair loose, he could feel how it stood up all ruffled, but he didn't care "but I can't fix this, I can't even see it."
"You don't have to" Jack continued gently "you don't have to always save everyone on your own."
"Now you're just mocking me" Ianto hardened down and he welcomed that anger, it made him think clearer. "Tea boy, that's all I am."
"Now that's just Owen talking" Jack shook his head and picked up his ear piece "come on say you have something for me." Ianto tapped his piece and tuned in. He listened in on Owen's ramblings about ways to insert the needle and what hurts the most. He stopped listening, focusing on coffee making; it was a task that always calmed him. It was something he could control completely.
When he was finished he just stood there for a moment inhaling the scent of coffee, it was most luring. As he handed Jack his mug their eyes meet and he could see concern in Jack's eyes. Their fingers touched and in a flash he remembered the burning of his skin when Jack touched him on the boat. He remembered his desire to pour himself in Jack and just stop thinking. It was most the seducing desire of them all, to just let go.
"So nothing biological?" Jack spoke up in his determined manner, taking his mug but not taking his gaze from Ianto.
"Nothing I could find" Owen cheerfully confirmed from the other side "and I can find almost anything. Just ordinary human blood, sure with high levels of oxytocin, testosterone, oestrogen', you name the hormone, it's elevated. Mix of emotions and urges in motion, but no sign of a trigger anywhere."
"Keep looking, maybe you just overlooked something." Jack instructed him.
"Hey" Owen shouted insulted "I know how to use my eyes, Captain-Know-It-All-But-Never-Sharing-It."
"Noted Owen, good work" Jack hung up looking exhausted. "Now will you tell me what that was all about "Jack nodded upwards towards tourist office "why panic?"
Ianto felt his shoulders lifting up and his spine stiffening.
"When I'm kicked in the gut I like know why" he continued as Ianto stayed silent "so that I don't repeat the mistake. When you live long enough, you avoid pain when you can."
"Panic and sex don't mix for me" Ianto answered curtly and continued with a sigh when Jack raised his eyebrows questioningly. "It evokes rape rather than arousal."
"Rape?" Jack frowned. "I didn't have the feeling that you..."
"No" Ianto shook his head "luckily no, but when you grow up like I did, in between, constantly attracted and scared at the same time, fear of violence and desire for touch get mixed up in very vivid nightmares and trepidation. It's not best of ideas to corner me when I'm like this."
"Good to know" Jack rubbed his thigh. "Is it wrong if I still want to strip you naked?"
Ianto looked down in a streak of desire wanting nothing more.
"No, it's not, but I would probably bite your head off if you did. Cookie?" Ianto turned towards the kitchen; there were chocolate chip cookies; that could help. There was a jar there; he stretched up to fetch them. When he turned around Jack was standing right behind him.
"I've told you" he growled "not to do that until we're better, I will tear your clothes off risking losing some limbs in the process. They'll grow again eventually, so it isn't such shame" he fixed his gaze on Ianto's collar bone.
Ianto pushed a cookie between them and Jack leaned forward biting it out of Ianto's hand.
"I hate you" Jack growled with his mouth full. Ianto just nodded pushing down the desire to jump on him and bite down hard in his shoulder, letting it all fall apart. Luckily the phone rang at that moment. It was Tosh. As she spoke, Jack leaned forward supporting his arms on both sides of the counter forcing Ianto to lean back. Ianto didn't listen, he focused himself on staying calm, but when Jack leaned in and inhaled deep, leaning against his neck, Ianto shivered. He wasn't sure if he would grab Jack and dig his fingers in his skin dragging him near, or if he would clench his fist and hit him hard in the gut, when Tosh said his name.
"Is Ianto there yet, he would know, Jack are you there?" her voice was filled with panic.
"I'm here Tosh" Ianto spoke up with a raw voice when Jack stayed silent. "Tell me what you need?" Ianto pushed Jack aside and strolled towards the tower.
"There is a wave source" Tosh said "It's stimulating our endocrine system. I can't locate its source exactly, but it needs a powerful antenna to transmit signal so strong to cover the whole city, or more, we can't tell how far it stretched. I checked most of transmitters in town, and they are all fine. I'm willing to bet our water tower is being used as an antenna; we just need to find a plug and pull it out. Like you did with the telephone from the wall, I wish I did that, I still have nightmares about creatures living in my bedroom."
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