All the time we have 5/8 + epilogue

[zazajb]

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

Warnings: mentions of character death end s2 and day 4 CoE
Pairings/Characters: Jack/Ianto, team
Spoilers – possible all s1-3 TW, plus radio 4 play The Dead Line: set between TW s2 & s3, directly after Radio 4 play The Dead Line
Summary: Following Ianto’s speech to Jack in The Dead Line, Jack tries to show Ianto he’ll never be just a blip in time

Word count: 23100

Written for TW Big Bang Round 2

A/N Not done anything quite like this before and I have to say I loved every minute! I have to say a huge thank you to my wonderful beta badly_knitted who shared the highs and sent me cookies and hugs when I was doubting my sanity [that’s a lorry-load of cookies and even more hugs!] Thank you *hugs close* Also special thanks to the amazingly talented penny_sieve who took my words and gave them life with her awesome artwork – thank you so much *raises a glass to you*

A/N 2 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have 5/8 + epilogue

Chapter 5

The roller door siren alerted them to the arrival of Gwen, although they were too far gone to actually do anything about it as Jack moaned and panted, his chest pressed into his desk as Ianto thrust wildly into him, his face flushed, head thrown back, eyes closed...

“Jack...Ianto..? Anyone home..? Gwen called out as she shrugged off her coat and dumped her bag by her workstation before taking the bag of pastries she’d picked up on the way in up to the kitchen. She put the kettle on to make herself a cup of tea, walking back along the top walkway towards Jack’s office as she pictured them curled up together, wondering if they were in a similar situation today...

Her mind was distracted enough not to recognise the sounds that met her ears at first, gasping loudly as she suddenly realised what she was hearing when Jack’s “oh God, Ianto...yes, there..!” echoed loudly around the hub, followed by some extremely expressive Welsh as Ianto followed him into ecstasy... She blushed scarlet, even though they couldn’t see her and she hadn’t actually seen them either, but there was no doubting the activities behind that closed door...

Turning swiftly on her heels to retreat, she recalled the last time she’d caught them in the hothouse... Ianto had looked so hot and ‘undone’...he really did love Jack... She bit her lip and pushed away the niggling jealousy that grumbled in her head...she had Rhys who adored her and she did love him...she did...it was just that Jack did something to her that she couldn’t explain... She shook her head and sat down at her computer, pulling up the programs she’d been working through. Ianto would be making coffee soon enough...

It was about fifteen minutes before the door to Jack’s office opened and Ianto headed out towards the kitchen, his hair mussed and a hint of pink on his cheekbones the only outward signs of his recent loving...well, maybe the huge grin on his face had something to do with it as well..! Gwen smiled to herself, her jealous goblin at peace for the moment seeing Ianto so obviously happy after he’d had such a rough ride recently...she giggled to herself at the unintentional double entendre, jumping as Jack leant over the railing to call to her.

“Hey! You ok down there? You were worlds away..?”

“You mean like you two were when I arrived this morning..!”

Jack grinned, “We were reviewing some archived files from 1947...”

“It sounded like it..!”

“Well...we were...to start with...and I guess we got a bit carried away...you could’ve come in and said hello..!”

Gwen giggled and didn’t answer, turning back to her keyboard and was soon engrossed in the intricate nuances of the rift predictor settings that Tosh had been perfecting... She jumped for the second time that morning when Ianto appeared at her shoulder with a mug of her favourite blend and the apple and cinnamon twist she’d chosen for herself.

“Sorry..! Didn’t mean to make you jump...” he put the mug down by the side of her computer and handed her the plate. She smiled her thanks, noting the kiss-swollen pink of his lips and subtle aroma of Jack that mingled with his own natural scent, and couldn’t stop the swift stab of envy when she imagined them together. Blushing, she turned back to her screen and began typing at top speed, complete and utter rubbish, but Ianto seemed to get the message and glided away, returning to Jack’s office with their mugs and pastries.

Jack accepted his mug, smiling softly when their fingers brushed together as the mug changed ownership. He sipped appreciatively and nodded, “...much better hot!”

Ianto grinned, “I’ll remind you of that next time you get distracted...sir!” He sipped his own drink – definitely better hot! They munched their pastries in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Ianto got to his feet and put the plates and mugs back on the tray, leaning across to plant a light kiss on his Captain’s lips before heading for the door. “I’ll wash these and then I’ll do the report for this morning...unless you want me to do anything else..?”

Jack raised his eyebrows suggestively and was rewarded with a roll of the Welshman’s eyes; the young man was most definitely back in work mode now! “Ok, I’ll shout if I need you...” He watched as Ianto retreated gracefully out of the door before turning back to his computer to start transferring the Ianto files to the flash drives, watching several and marking some to share with Ianto once he’d finished his report.

Ianto had washed the mugs and prepared the beans ready for the next coffee run, and was now heading back to the main hub to start on the report of their meeting with the Corahcuts. He smiled as Gwen gave him a sidelong glance as he sat down; she had something on her mind and knowing Gwen it wouldn’t be long until she started talking...

They both concentrated on their work, an uneasy silence falling between them...Gwen trying to quell the jealousy that kept bubbling to the surface every time she thought of the two men together, those carnal sounds replaying over and over in her head...Ianto wondering what she’d seen or heard that morning and if that was why she was ‘off’ with him...

The silence continued until a choked sob from Gwen got Ianto’s attention. He leapt to his feet and went to her workstation to see her huge brown doe eyes full of tears as she gazed at a message on the screen. The message was from Tosh and obviously something she’d planted within the program some time previously, knowing that it would only be seen after her death, “Nice work guys – you’ve done really well to get this far...you might want to keep an eye on the inverse matrices as the neutrinos tend to drift...I’m sure I’m missing you all from this side of the rift...”

The tears spilled down Gwen’s cheeks as she tapped her screen and pulled up the requisite readings – the neutrinos had drifted so she reset them, “Tosh knew we’d have to go through her programs to make sure we knew how they worked...she left us messages to keep us safe...she’s still keeping us safe even now...” she whispered hoarsely.

Ianto squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, “...you need a hanky?” he offered, his eyes widening as she shook her head and pulled one out of her pocket, clocking it immediately as one of Jack’s... The rumblings of jealousy reared their head and he snapped without thinking, “...no, you’ve got one already...fine...” Gwen’s face crumpled at his harsh tone and she buried her face in the already mascara-smudged cotton...

Sighing deeply, Ianto put his arms around her awkwardly and patted her on the back, “...sorry...” his voice regretful, “...I just miss them...” which was true, even if that wasn’t the real reason he’d bitten her head off... 

They remained still, each remembering their lost friends, until Gwen’s sobs stopped and she pulled away, drying her eyes before ramming the damp hanky back in her pocket.

Ianto sat back down and gazed at his screen. He’d just finished the report from that morning. He shook his head minutely and glanced across at Gwen, whose face reddened as she caught his eye – she’d been staring at him again... He turned to face her...get this over with...”I’m sorry if we embarrassed you this morning...when we were...you know...” he blushed and looked down at his shoes.

Gwen smiled, “It brought back memories...y’know...from the hothouse...” Ianto’s blush deepened and she giggled, reaching for his hand, “...actually, it’s quite a turn on...I told Rhys and we had quite a session that night...”

Ianto groaned, “I can hear Owen in my head right now..!”

They fell silent again, both picturing the acerbic medic who always had plenty to say on the subject of his boss shagging the tea boy...

The silence was broken by Jack shouting down from the railings outside his office, “Ianto! Any chance of a coffee and then I need you to go over the firearms competencies with me...”

Ianto rolled his eyes, “...sounds like fun all the way..! Coffee?”

“Yeah...please...we friends again..?”

“Yep! Oh, I’ve just sent you a copy of the report from this morning...nice encounter with some really tall beings called Corahcuts...took a really nice photo for us..!” He chuckled as Gwen leapt at her keyboard to check it out as he headed for the kitchen.

Coffee made, Ianto entered Jack’s office to see him staring intently at his computer, his hands clenched on the desk. Peering over his shoulder he grinned, “...that doesn’t look like firearms competencies, sir...”

Jack growled in response, whipping his chair round to drag his Welshman into a bone crushing embrace as he claimed his lips hungrily, tongue diving into his mouth to duel hotly with his own, the young man’s gasps lost against the rising passions within them... Coming up for air, Jack grinned wolfishly at the man in his arms. “I’ve been watching you...us...God, we’re hot..! Remember this..?” He swung the chair back round and opened a file called ‘Strip shooter’, “These are the firearms competencies...”

They watched the opening scene on the range where Ianto helped Jack on with his coat, buttoning it up and fastening the belt... Ianto paused the playback, grinning at Jack’s sulky pout. He brushed their lips together as he wriggled off his lap, “...hold that thought, Captain...I’ll be right back..!” and vanished from the office.

Jack watched through the window as the young man skipped down the steps and spoke to Gwen, whispering in her ear; watched as the Welshwoman gave him a hug, picked up her bag and left the hub, grinning madly, a spring in her step as the roller door closed behind her.

Moments later Ianto was back, sliding onto his lap to wrap his arms around his Captain and kiss him hard. Jack raised his eyebrows as they pulled apart. “I told her we had a lot of files to go through, that it would take ages and she might as well take advantage of the quiet and grab another long lunch with Rhys...she won’t be back until three...” he left out the whispered, “...why don’t you tell him about this morning and take it from there..?” that had prompted a wicked giggle and the impulsive hug.

Jack beamed and clicked ‘resume’... and they watched some rather impressive shooting that got progressively less accurate as clothes were removed and some devious distraction techniques resulted in targets being missed altogether...well, paper targets anyway... “C’m here...” Jack grabbed Ianto’s hand and crushed their mouths together, soft moans of pleasure escaping the Welshman as he was kissed into oblivion before Jack led him down the ladder and proceeded to worship his body until they were both panting through the warmth of the afterglow...

After an enjoyable shower, Ianto returned to the kitchen where he made a flask of coffee and filled a backpack with the picnic items he’d bought, before returning to Jack’s office and holding out his hand... “Come on...”

“Where we going?”

“Picnic...we’re memory making, yeah?” He shoved aside the memory making for when I’m dead thoughts that rushed unbidden into his head, holding out Jack’s coat for him to slip into, smoothing the heavy fabric over his shoulders, “...I really love this coat...” he murmured against his Captain’s ear, sending trails of goosebumps over his flesh and a twitch to his groin...

They walked down to the SUV. Jack transferred the rift alert to his wrist strap and Ianto climbed into the driver’s seat, heading out of Cardiff towards the perfect spot he had in mind. They parked at the bottom of the hill and set out on foot, Ianto had the picnic blanket, Jack had the backpack as they panted their way up the incline. As they reached the top Ianto turned, “...what do you think?”

The view was magnificent, the city spread out below them... “Wow! That’s some view..!”

“Yeah...” Jack turned at the tone to see Ianto gazing at him with desire filled eyes and he pulled the young man into his arms, kissing him softly… how did I let him get so far under my skin? How am I ever gonna let him go..? He tightened his hold and deepened the kiss, plundering his mouth as Ianto surrendered his grip on reality and lost himself completely in the sensations of Jack’s lips against his..

Stumbling backwards, Jack pulled away, “...rug...floor...these...” he tugged at their clothing, “...off!”

Moving back under the shade of a giant Oak tree, Ianto spread the rug out on the ground as Jack attacked the buttons of the young man’s waistcoat and shirt, pulling them open so he could run his fingers through the soft downy hair on his chest. They sank to the floor as kiss followed kiss and each emotion-charged touch brought them closer to paradise...

They lay tangled and breathless, the breeze gusting over their heated skin. Jack dropped a light kiss to the tip of Ianto’s nose, “...you ok?”

“Mmnn...” was the most coherent thing that emerged from the young man’s mouth as he struggled to force air back into his lungs after some particularly innovative moves from his Captain. He shivered a little as the wind tugged at his hair.

“Cold..?” Jack was attentive, “...here...” he held his coat out for Ianto to slip into and folded it round him, tugging on his own t-shirt and shirt before sitting back down with his back to the tree trunk and pulling the young man back to the floor to lean back against him as he wrapped him into his arms.

Ianto sighed happily as he leant back, content in his Captain’s embrace...this would make a wonderful memory...he stretched his toes out to snag his trousers and inched them towards him, finally retrieving his phone from the pocket, where he opened the camera and took several shots of them before dropping the phone as his lips were claimed softly...tenderly...lovingly...how can I imagine leaving all this..?

The rumbling of Jack’s stomach reminded them of their picnic and Ianto pulled the food and drink out of the bag while Jack pulled the rest of his clothes back on. They sat and munched contentedly, Jack snapping several more pictures of his Welshman wrapped in the coat, plus some of them both with the view of the city in the background... Finally, full of ciabatta and Italian cheese and chewy chocolate brownie, they leant against each other as Jack told some more stories of his adventures with Stella during the winter of 1978, including the tale of a Yeti-type footprint mystery that turned out to be a local reporter trying to find out who or what they were...until he was retconned back to his teenage years! 

Jack’s wrist strap beeped as they were finishing their second cup of coffee. He flipped it open and checked the readings. “Looks like a couple of weevils...” he sighed wistfully, “...sorry, Yan, we gotta go back to work...” He tugged the young man to his feet and folded him into a hug, pressing their lips together lightly, “I’ve really enjoyed this...we’ve made some happy memories today...” how can I ever let him go? I love him...

Ianto smiled softly, “Thank you, cariad...” There’s no way I’m dying just yet...I need more days like this... He scrambled into his clothes as Jack threw the remnants of the picnic back into the pack and rolled up the rug. He held his hand out, entwining their fingers as Ianto took hold, and glanced around at the idyllic setting.

“This would be the perfect spot to bury the time capsule...”

They hurried back to the SUV and set off in pursuit of the weevils...it was all in a day’s work at Torchwood...

Chapter 6 http://zazajb.livejournal.com/22739.html