Ianto sat down heavily on the sofa and winced in pain, his head snapping up as the Cog Door rolled back.

 

‘Jack?’

 

Ianto’s voice echoed through the Hub and he heard Jack shout back.

 

‘Ianto?!’

 

He sat up a bit straighter in the sofa and smiled as Jack appeared.

 

‘Hi.’

 

‘Hi.’ Jack replied as he took off his coat and hung it up, ‘what are you doing here it’s late?’

 

‘I just finished.’

 

Ianto had spent the day in Providence Park and driving around Cardiff checking up on people. He had arranged a sort of long term mop up operation concerning the survivors of Torchwood One. He and Jack had spent an evening talking about if it could be done and why he would want to do it. Ianto had persuaded Jack that whilst severing all links to Torchwood One meant he stuck to his principles and showed loyalty to the Doctor and Rose’s sacrifice - not caring for the survivors wasn’t responsible and Jack was better than that. And if Ianto had been braver he would have admitted it didn’t show much loyalty to him to ignore them.

Jack had finally agreed and allocated him funds for any medical or psychiatric help the survivors might require, access to records and Retcon, sole knowledge and security clearance (apart from Jack) and a number of hours a month he could take to do it.

It had taken Ianto a long time to work up the courage to ask but once he had and Jack had agreed he had asked why. That was when Jack had told him about Flathom. Ianto had already known about it (he knew everything) and was prepared to use it as leverage if Jack hadn’t been entirely willing to go for his plan. It was sneaky and almost emotional blackmail but Ianto hadn’t needed to do it and in the end they decided together to check on each others “projects” and help out when they could. Ianto remembered Jacks fairness and found himself smiling up at him, only falling out of his reverie when Jack frowned and walked over to him quickly.

 

‘What happened? You’re hurt.’

 

He pulled him up and cupped his face, stroking a thumb under the rapidly flowering black eye Ianto was sporting, ‘yeah I know. It’s nothing.’

 

He turned away out of Jack’s grip and peeled his jacket off, undoing his tie slowly, unbuttoning his shirt, loosening his waist coat and ignoring the annoyed tone in Jack’s voice.

 

‘Ianto…!’

  

‘Can I go and get some coffee first at least?’

 

He turned and looked away from where Jack was standing firm, arms crossed over his chest, stare blazing and tried to judge the best way to get through to him. Deciding quickly, he took his hand and pulled him gently down into the Hub.

 

‘I’ll make you coffee too…’

 

Ianto felt Jack entwine their fingers and allow himself to be led to the machine, he breathed in deeply, filling mugs efficiently and handing one to a silent Jack who was still glaring at his eye. He sat up on the bench and gulped his drink down, looking at Jack and trying not to break under his gaze.

 

‘Where have you been then?’

 

Jack considered Ianto and slowly took a sip of his coffee, leaning opposite him and ignoring his question he gestured to Ianto’s face.

‘What happened?’

 

‘I asked first.’

 

Jack took another sip and watched Ianto drain his, ‘went to go and see a man about a dog.’

 

‘Yeah?’ Ianto asked, putting his mug down and staring back at him.

 

‘No. Went to go and see a woman about a man,’ Jack admitted, seeing Ianto’s eyes flash and adding quickly, ‘strictly professional.’

 

‘Hmmmm.’ Ianto settled back and ignored the exhaustion seeping into his mind, he reached out and their fingers brushed as he took the mug off Jack and swallowed some more coffee passing it back and watching him take another sip slowly.

 

‘Your turn,’ Jack bowed his head and looked up at him sadly. ‘I assume you were working on your project?’

 

Ianto barely nodded and took another drink from Jack’s coffee. He had been accidentally hit by the one survivor who was permanently in Providence Park. Russell Allen had been severely traumatised and suffered mental problems after Canary Wharf, he was almost constantly medicated and used to be Ianto’s friend, all of which Jack already knew. He took another drink and passed it back to him as he explained.

 

‘He just…he was sleeping and I was reading through his latest psychiatric files, he started having a nightmare, I tried to help, he thought I was them trying to sedate him, he lashed out. It was just an accident.’

 

Jack didn’t look convinced or comforted and took another sip passing the last of it to Ianto, ‘hardly worth mentioning,’ he finished and Jack sighed frustratedly.

 

‘Ianto - you know you don’t have to –‘

 

‘Jack,’ Ianto interrupted defiantly and taking his hand, ‘I want to.’

 

‘I was going to say – you don’t have to put yourself at risk like this. Get too close…’

 

‘Oh. Jack. It was just an accident. A One off. I Promise.’

 

Tension filled the air as neither broke their gaze before Jack softened and moved forward, leaning into Ianto and resting his face against his chest.

 

‘I know…How were they?’

 

Ianto could feel Jack’s ever present body heat radiate into him and he rested his elbow on Jack’s shoulder gently running fingers through his hair.

 

‘Everyone seemed okay. Just Russell…’

 

Ianto sighed and leaned into his embrace, opening his thighs wider and letting his legs hang either side of Jack’s body as large hands ran down his back and Jack spoke quietly into his neck.

 

‘You okay?’

 

‘I’m tired.’ Ianto replied after a few seconds and Jack’s breath tickled his neck as he whispered back.

 

‘Me too.’

 

‘I missed you last night.’ Ianto said quietly and Jack kissed the hollow of his neck.

 

‘Me too,’ he brushed a hand up Ianto’s thigh and continued to kiss up his throat, ‘stay tonight?’

 

Ianto stilled his fingers on the back of Jack’s head and reached his face down to meet his, kissing him softly and murmuring against his lips, ‘you look exhausted.’

 

‘I’ll sleep better with you here.’

 

He missed the seriousness in Jack’s tone and the earnestness in his eyes.

 

‘I don’t know if I believe that…’ Ianto smiled and Jack let out a breath, his hand running further up his thigh and his kisses becoming needier.

 

‘You’re right.’ He agreed, ‘I just really miss morning sex.’

 

Ianto let out a small gasp as Jack’s fingers ghosted past his crotch and he lightly nipped the skin behind his ear.

 

 ‘We had morning sex last week.’

 

‘And now I miss it.’ Jack reasoned, ‘come on. I’ll tell you a bedtime story…’

 

Ianto pretended to consider as Jack left kisses along his collarbone, tickling him with touches of tongue and he sighed happily, ‘how can I resist that?’

 

‘You can’t,’ Jack answered from his chest, looking back up and moving into him. They kissed deeply, their tongues brushing teasingly and he moaned quietly. Jack moved in closer, opening his mouth a bit wider, wanting more and Ianto winced making him pull back quickly.

 

‘Sorry.’

 

‘It’s fine.’ Ianto answered quickly, ‘he just has a good right hook.’ He closed his eyes as Jack ran a thumb under the bruising skin again gently, ‘let’s go to bed,’ Ianto sighed.

 

Jack leaned back in and kissed his brow slowly, ‘I’m icing your eye first.’

 

He wanted to protest but his face was starting to throb and he nodded, accepting Jack’s hand and following him to get looked after.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

The next morning Jack looked down at Ianto sprawled naked across the bed, his body a story board of the night before and Jack almost felt ashamed at the pale bruises on his hips, the large love bite on his stomach and the finger nail marks down his back. Instead he smiled fondly as he buttoned up his shirt and put on his waistcoat.

 

‘Hey.’

 

Ianto buried his face in the pillow, waved a hand above his head and let it fall heavily back into the mattress.

 

‘Mumph.’

 

‘I’m going up,’ Jack offered, sitting on the bed and pulling his boots on.

 

Ianto turned and sat up sleepily, the sheets stretching across his flat stomach and Ianto ran a hand lightly scratching across his abdomen. Jack wet his lips slightly as he watched him stretch, his mouth went dry as Ianto’s abdomen tightened and the hollow of his hip slid from under the sheet as he smiled and flattened his hair.

 

‘I thought you wanted morning sex…’

 

Jack snapped out of it and grinned at Ianto’s ruffled appearance, trying to ignore the purple bruising surrounding his eye and the pain it looked like it was inflicting and reached across to kiss him quickly.

 

‘I think you are too tired after yesterday. Besides – the intense, sleepy, slow sex of last night was better than morning sex. I love the alliteration.’

 

He smiled and Ianto laughed quietly, kissing him again and getting out of bed to find clothes.

 

‘Okay,’ he agreed, ‘I have to go and run some errands – I’ll be back in a couple of hours.’

 

‘Okay.’

 

Jack stood up and went to climb the ladder but felt a hand tug him back down.

 

‘Wait –‘ Ianto gestured to his face, ‘….how does it look?’

 

He was trying to appear like he didn’t care that he had a rapidly blackening eye and Jack cocked his head grinning wickedly.

 

‘Hot.’

 

‘Yeah?’

 

‘Yeah…’ Jack swooped in to kiss him again, drawing it out longer and finally growling as he wrenched himself away from Ianto and left quickly. It was time to find out exactly why they were being stalked and how he was caught up in something that sounded remarkably too domestic for Captain Jack Harkness.