2024 Tropes & Fandoms - Trope: Coworkers (with benefits!)
Jack Of All Trades
"No way!" Ianto breathed the words out incredulously when he saw what was on the screen before him.
...
It had been a slow day...and an even slower night...with no Rift activity or any other suspicious happenings, at all. Therefore, the Torchwood Three team had called it quits early – especially since Gwen needed to leave and get home to Rhys anyway in order for them to make it on time to her parents' anniversary dinner. Owen had eagerly taken off, as well, since he also had a date waiting for him.
Consequently, after asking Ianto to wait for him in typical Jack style..."In your birthday suit, of course!" the man had requested with a suggestive eyebrow waggle...their leader was the one who had driven Tosh home in the Land Rover since her car was at the mechanic's shop.
Therefore, Ianto was alone in the Hub with only Myfanwy the pterodactyl for company.
After he had fed her, though, and then tidied up the office and kitchen area after the sometimes quite slovenly team, he made a cup of tea and decided to entertain himself with an online game or two of Solitaire to pass the rest of the time until Jack's return.
Despite the other man's request, however, doing so in a state of nudity was completely out of the question. After all the Hub was located underground and was, therefore, always quite chilly. In fact, Ianto found that he was already starting to shiver a little bit since the temperatures outside in Cardiff had dropped below freezing, as well. Therefore, any removal of clothing would just have to wait until another body was present to keep him warm.
With thoughts about one body, in particular, and of all the pleasurable activities that were soon to come with said body, Ianto shivered again...but this time in anticipation...before he sat down at his desk and logged onto Pogo. It was his favorite website that offered all sorts of card, word, and puzzle games to ward off boredom on slow nights such as the one he was currently experiencing. Much to his delight, he realized that there was even a new game located there that he had not seen before: World Class Solitaire. Since it was in the exact genre he was in the mood to play, he decided to give it a try.
It did not take long, however, before Ianto started to stare at the screen as he also murmured his surprise at what he saw there. In fact, once the Jack of Diamonds appeared in the game, he was mesmerized. After all, the resemblance was uncanny. That was not the end of it, though. In fact, the Jacks of Hearts, Clubs, and Spades also featured one very familiar face.*
In fact, once all four Jacks were uncovered on the screen, Ianto stopped playing completely in order to study them intently. There was no doubt about it, though. The pictures on the screen may have been colorful illustrations...in the style of the very early 20th century, by the looks of things...but those digital card Jacks were definitely meant to represent his Jack! He was certain of it!
Luckily enough, the man in question stepped into the room at that very moment. In fact, Jack looked quite disappointed to see Ianto still fully dressed, however...at least until the other man looked up and greeted him with obvious excitement.
"Jack, you've got to come and see this!" he demanded as he pointed at the screen in front of him.
Out of curiosity, the other man did so and peered over Ianto's shoulder at the card game in progress.
"Solitaire? Is that all you've been doing since I've been gone?" Jack sounded a bit disappointed. "By the way, you can play that seven of clubs there, you know," he continued to remark calmly, however, as he pointed out the appropriate stack.
"Never mind that!" Ianto replied impatiently. "Look at the face cards, instead, Jack!" He purposely emphasized the man's name to get him to look in the right place.
Since Ianto was usually calm and collected, his uncharacteristic tone of urgency grabbed Jack's attention. As a result, he humored the Welshman and looked closer...before he did a double take and whistled slowly in appreciation.
"Well, hello, Handsome!" he exclaimed when he also finally saw what Ianto had noticed immediately. "It's been a long time since I've seen these," he added in wonder as his finger touched the screen and almost absentmindedly traced his likeness on the cards there while the memories associated with them rushed to the forefront of his thoughts.
"I knew it! So, it really is you!" Ianto declared. "What's the story behind them?" he asked curiously.
Jack just straightened up with a grin, however, as he reached over to shut down the computer.
"Nope!" he drawled and purposely popped the p sound in the word. "After all, you didn't follow my directions." He pointed at Ianto's still-clothed state of being. "Therefore, no answers until you're naked!"
"But Jack..." Ianto began to protest the man's lack of an satisfactory explanation.
"There's only one butt I want to see right now, Mister Jones, and it's yours!" the man proclaimed. "Make it happen. Then, I'll explain."
When he saw the smoldering look in the man's eyes that belied his light tone, however, Ianto suddenly realized that he could not argue with a plan that would get him both answers and Jack's special sexy brand of attention.
Therefore, he found that he was suddenly quite motivated and with just an "Aye, aye, Captain!" he loosened his tie as he started to eagerly make his way up the stairs to Jack's quarters.
The other man followed closely behind and they both shed as much clothing as they could along the way. Meanwhile, Jack started to explain as they went.
"Over time...both in the future and the past...I've been a model off and on in a lot of different places...for a lot of different artists...in a lot of different mediums. In fact, back home on the Boeshane Peninsula, they used to call me the Face of Boe." He paused to grin at that particular memory...just as he had when he told the Doctor and Martha the same thing...before he continued.
"At any rate, in this particular case, I was in New York City. In fact, I was basically stranded there for most of the 1920s...and it was quite an exciting time amidst all the glamor and danger of the gangster, flapper, and speakeasy scenes. The simple truth, however, was that I was in need of both money and a place to stay at the time. I was fortunate enough, though, to meet a beautiful artist who wanted me...both to draw and to have in her bed...so we simply took care of each other for a while." Jack paused and shrugged before he continued. "In the process, she created an entire portrait series of Jacks if I remember correctly. I'm pretty sure that those four that you saw downstairs were part of that set, as well." He paused again, but this time it was to sigh. "She was a talented woman...in many ways...but that was quite a long time ago. I know she must be gone by now. Therefore, I wonder how that game company came by those particular pictures?"
Jack shrugged again, but Ianto noticed that the look in his eyes was that of a man who had lived too long and lost too many people along the way. Still, he appreciated the small glimpse into his lover's mysterious and unique past that had accidentally come his way. After all, even though nothing really surprised him any more about the man in question, everything he learned helped him to understand Jack a little better than before.
That was why he was not surprised when his boss abruptly changed the subject and donned his sexy manic grin again once they entered his bedroom.
"It's obviously not important, now, though," he declared. "After all, modeling was just one of the many careers I've had over the years. In fact, I'm really a Jack of all trades, you know."
With that statement, his last remaining item of clothing...his underwear...hit the floor.
Even while he eyed the attractive sight in front of him with obvious interest, Ianto still snorted with amusement at the proclamation. " A Jack of all trades," he repeated, "but a master of none."
"Come on now!" the naked man coaxed as he pushed the equally nude Ianto up against the wall and leaned into him, body to body and skin to skin. "To be sure you consider me to be a master of a least one very important skill?" The words were drawled out in a low seductive voice as he met Ianto's heated gaze with his own smolder.
"Well...maybe one..." Ianto conceded as his breath caught in excitement at the man's proximity. After all, he could not deny that Jack, the only man that he had ever been attracted to in such a sexual way, was extremely talented in that particular area!
"That's what I thought!" Jack replied with his usual confidence as he leaned in for the first kiss.
After that, Solitaire was the last thing on Ianto's mind for quite a long while.
End Note: *Every time I play this particular online game, it never fails to amuse me how much the "Jacks" look like...well...Jack! LOL!