Twos and Blues...3/?

[zazajb]

Title: Twos and Blues: 3/?
Author: zazajb
Rating: R - N/C-17 overall, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M
Pairings/Characters: Jack/Ianto, [past]Jack/John, Tosh/Owen, Gwen/Rhys, Andy, Gareth, Harris, Nick, Pete, Mica
Spoilers – none – totally AU
Summary: Jack is the Station Commander of a retained* fire station. This is the story of their adventures. Words: this chapter 3400

Previous chapters: http://zazajb.livejournal.com/6286.html

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters – anything you recognise is owned by RTD & BBC, even if they don’t know how to look after them properly...
With thanks to the wonderful fjorda77 for the awesome banner *hugs*

A/N So, I’ve finally gone completely AU...new departure for me – thank you for all the comments so far...and please excuse the liberties I’m taking with Welsh geography! Now lj is back I will reply to all your lovely comments this weekend...

A/N1 Retained stations are crewed by part-time firefighters who live and work locally, responding to a bleeper signal when the fire appliance is needed – in all other respects they are the same as whole-time firefighters...

A/N 2 This is [hopefully] going to bring my LJ up to date. From here on updates will be posted to LJ and DW. chap 4 should be up later today. Chapters will be linked. Prologue here http://zazajb.livejournal.com/42896.html

 

Twos and Blues 3/?

Chapter 3

John Hart handed the file to his Watch Manager to get the Breathing Apparatus checks signed off. Owen took the file and scanned the figures. “John?”

“Hmnn?”

“This one’s a bit low...did you double check it? John?” Owen glanced out of the window to see what had grabbed John’s attention. Jack was stood behind a strange car, obviously waiting for the occupant to disembark. As they watched, the door opened and a young man climbed out.

“Who’s the eye candy?” John peered closer, taking in the stranger’s appearance – a three piece suit was not a common mode of attire at the station.

Owen shrugged “possible new probie...the Captain said he might drop in tonight...

“Oh, he’s pretty..!” there was no mistaking the leer in that tone.

“Give the kid a chance to meet everyone and settle in before you eat him alive!” Owen chuckled, John’s predatory nature was well known! “Although, you might want to steer clear altogether...looks like the Captain’s beat you to it!” noting his friend’s happy smile as the young, and undeniably handsome, young man approached their leader, his hand outstretched...

“Bugger!” John leant forward and watched the two shake hands, “hmm, possible...we’ll see...”

Owen gave him a good natured shove, “Right, now you’ve finished drooling over the new boy, can we get back to this?” He tapped the file and they resumed their discussion of the  levels...

Outside, Ianto approached Jack, his knees weak but functioning, his butterflies in mid-display but unable to hide his delight at seeing the dashing Captain in his uniform again. They both gasped at the electric tingle as they shook hands, Jack clasping his other hand over their joined ones to tug him in a little closer.

 “I’m so glad you came..!” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, knowing the comment would draw a blush to the Welshman’s pale cheeks. “...and I love the suit, by the way...is there nothing you don’t look drop dead gorgeous in?”

Ianto’s blush intensified as he gazed into Jack’s eyes. There was no doubting the sincerity in those blue grey pools and he suddenly wished they weren’t in such a public place...

“I’m glad I came too...” it came out as a hushed whisper, sending shivers of desire down the Captain’s spine and he held on a bit tighter to the other man’s hand.

“You ready to meet the troops? The only one who’s missing tonight is Gareth, he’s on annual leave...”

“Yep, oh, I’ve got a little something for you, hang on, I’ll just get it out of the car...”

Jack released his hand reluctantly but was treated to the wonderful view of the Welshman removing his jacket and then bending over to retrieve whatever it was from the front passenger seat. The fabric of his trousers stretched over the curve of his gorgeous backside and sent yet more fingers of flame charging to the front of his trousers and he had take a deep breath to maintain control. Any more of that and he’d have to go and deal with it in the shower room!

Ianto grinned as he turned around, several familiar paper bags and a squat stainless steel flask in his hands. He nudged the car door shut with his hip, the movement sending Jack’s entire blood supply rushing southwards... “This is for you...”

Taking the flask, their fingers brushed yet again and Jack resolved to visit the shower room at the earliest opportunity! “Coffee?”

“Yep, the hazelnut blend you like...”

“thanks...I’ll enjoy this...and Welsh cakes for the rest of them – you’re spoiling us!” Chuckling, Jack led the way into the station and their first port of call, the Watch Room.

“This is the Watch Room and probably the most important place after the appliances themselves. This is where the turnout instructions are printed out – note the antique dot pin matrix printer! The computer has replaced most paper records but we still like to keep a manual log of every shout even though it’s no longer a requirement...” he paused and glanced up to see Ianto drinking in every word.

“This room also houses the log books, manuals and other statutory requirements, station notices and training records...” Ianto nodded, gazing around with interest. “That’s the main bits in here, now for some introductions! This is Doctor Owen Harper, a snarkier, more sarcastic and grumpy pain-in-the-arse you’ll never meet, but he’s my second in command – official title ‘Watch Manager’ - and a good friend... Owen, this is Ianto Jones...”

“Great character reference there...thanks Jack!”

“Welcome...and it’s Captain ‘till 21:00 – note the stripes”

“Yeah, yeah..! Nice to meet you Ianto...” as he shook the Welshman’s hand, the grin suggesting that he wasn’t unhappy with Jack’s introduction!

The second man stood up from his chair in front of the computer and thrust out his hand “John Hart...” As they shook hands Ianto wasn’t sure what to make of this man – his grip was too tight and he held on just that little bit too long...an attempt at intimidation he wondered, noting that Hart’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the Captain...some kind of history there?

He had no time to ponder that one as Jack propelled him into the appliance bay. This is our first away, one five Papa one Romeo, one five being our station number, papa being pump, one, the first away, romeo indicating it carries all the rescue equipment. Total crew capacity is six, although we can go with a minimum of four...and these two lovely ladies are Toshiko Sato, one of my Crew Managers – she’s a computer genius and is constantly on at me about my paperwork!”

The pretty Japanese woman smiled, blushing gently. “It’s Tosh, please...and welcome...I hope you decide to join us, Ianto...”

Ianto smiled back, “thank you, Tosh...the Captain’s doing a good job of persuading me so...” he turned to the second woman who gave him a wide gap-toothed grin...

“...and this is Gwen Cooper, Gwen’s the probie here at the moment, she’s been with us nine months...”

Ianto nodded, the intense look she gave Jack not lost on him. He quelled the sudden rush of...of...jealousy? Almost as if he knew what Ianto was thinking, Jack squeezed his arm briefly, “Okay so far?”

“Yep...nice to meet you, Tosh...Gwen...” Jack steered him towards the next group who were swarming over a different appliance.

“How come he gets to call him Captain already?” Gwen hissed as the two men moved away. “It was months before he invited me...”  

Tosh shrugged, “no idea...” her eyes noting the expression on the Captain’s face and the closeness as he pressed a hand in the small of the Welshman’s back. Time would tell...

The three men stopped work and stood up respectfully as they approached. “This is Rhys Williams, he’s one of my more experienced firefighters now...what is it, eight...nine years now?”

“Just under ten...and I still haven’t got him to a rugby match yet!” Rhys grinned, an open friendly grin that warmed Ianto to him instantly.

“I love rugby!” he said enthusiastically, as they shook hands.

“Then you’re definitely in!” Rhys laughed.

“Thank you, Rhys-the-rant!” Jack chuckled. “You wanna hear him when the Six Nations is on...or any form of England/Wales encounter – boy does he go on..!”

“Haha!”

Jack grinned good naturedly and introduced the other two, Harris and Andy...or should I say Pup and Spook!” They grinned as Jack explained the nicknames, “I had a little black spaniel called Harris when I was growing up...I adored that dog and he was the cutest pup you ever saw...and no, that doesn’t mean I think you’re cute – more likely it’s those dark eyes, floppy ears and wet nose that reminds me of him!”

Harris threw his head back and laughed, his teeth startlingly white against the deep brown of his skin. “Woof woof!”

Shaking his head, Jack leant against Ianto briefly, relishing the warmth of his body as he continued, “Andy thinks the station is haunted and won’t be left here on his own! Oh, and don’t get him started on the subject of aliens..!” The three resumed their work as Jack continued,

“Now this appliance is one five Papa nine. It’s a Denis Rapier Unimog –that means it’s an off-road, 4-wheel drive, all terrain vehicle and that monitor on the top can be remote controlled, it can also convert its water into foam...one day I’ll tell you about the first drill we had with the foam..let’s just say it didn’t go to plan!”

They moved out through the huge open back doors to another purpose built brick building. These two reprobates’ are Nick – he’s been in three years like Andy, and Pete, who’s done twelve years and is my other Crew Manager as well as Gwen’s Auntie”

“Auntie?”

“All new firefighters are assigned a Crew Manager to look after them – help them through their initial weeks, their assessments and training and so on...any worries or problems, you tell your Auntie...I’ll ask Tosh to be yours when you join...”

“When? Not if?”

“No, definitely when!”

“Okay then...when!”      

“Good, glad that’s settled! Pete’s also our carnival co-ordinator – each year we have a float in the carnival and this is the guy who’ll harass you to death until you agree to be part of it! Joking aside, it’s something we always do because it’s a community thing and that’s very important to be involved in – we all live and work here so it’s one of the things that makes us a closer team than the whole-timers...but I never said that, okay!”

Nodding at Nick and Pete, Jack led them back to the entrance. “That’s everyone except Gareth, as I said he’s on holiday so you’ll meet him next time. Area-wise, we cover about five square miles, including Penarth – obviously – Dinas Powys and Sully. We’ve got Llandough Hospital, several light industrial estates, the Marina and some petro-chemical sites on our patch, as well as farmers and rural areas, so it’s a bit of everything and about forty two thousand people! Obviously, you’ll learn more as we go along...”

He stepped back in through the main door and stopped in front of a strange wooden board. “This contraption is very old and still better than any new-fangled stuff on other stations. We have three watches, red, blue and green, each firefighter is assigned to a watch, each watch has a Crew Manager, then there’s Owen and myself... When the bells go and everyone comes in, they flick their name on the board and it releases a little wooden ball with a number on it in the colour of their watch...see..?”

He lifted a wooden flap to show all the numbered balls lined up ready. “That way we know precisely who’s on the appliance, Officer-in-charge and so on...it’s old fashioned, but it’s so simple and it works!”

“What happens if not everyone from each watch is available? “

“It doesn’t matter who gets on from whichever watch, as long as the pump gets out as quickly as possible, which is why you have to be able to get to the station in four minutes – being on Windsor Road you’re only going to take a couple of minutes...traffic permitting of course. If I’m at work, the Station Approach Industrial estate is about three minutes and from home is about the same... Drill nights are the only times we stick to individual watches and assigned crewing...” he grinned and nudged the Welshman with his shoulder, “Now you know what they mean when they talk about ‘dropping their balls’!”

They laughed as they moved into the kit bay. “This is obviously where your kit lives, everyone has their own peg, a locker and boot shelf. Your second kit lives in the drying room... The electronic board shows who’s booked on and when a shout comes in, it’ll display the details of the shout and the appliance required... I’ll go over booking on and off and how to do it once we’ve got you set up on the system...now all you have to do is say yes...”

Ianto grinned, “yes!”

“So, drill next week and we’ll do all the formal paperwork, in the meantime, I’ll get you set up on the system – it means you’ll have to tell me all about yourself...in detail!” Jack steered Ianto back outside towards his car, the warmth of his hand on the young man’s back radiating through the silk back of his waistcoat and he was left feeling bereft when it was withdrawn.

They stood facing each other, silence falling as each realised the meeting was ending and neither wanted it to. Jack held out his hand, “Glad you came...and thanks again for the coffee – I’ll enjoy that once I’m home from this place...”

The now familiar tingle shot through them as Ianto shook his hand and it was with reluctance that they let go, the Welshman climbing into his car and reversing out. Jack watched him drive away before heading back into the station to oversee the rest of the drill session. He fielded a few questions about their potential new recruit, confirming that the young man was interested in joining them and would be coming back the following week.

After dismissing his crews at 21:00 he got stuck into his paperwork as the others gradually left, Owen and Tosh bidding him goodnight as they headed home together just after ten o’clock, left him alone. Remembering his coffee, he reached for the squat flask and poured, the aroma filling his senses and bringing a memory of another scent, one mingled with ginger and lime attached to the image of crystal blue eyes, a cute button nose and soft kissable lips... Paperwork first he told himself sternly as he sipped his coffee...

Sighing wearily, he slid the final report into the envelope, sealed it and dropped it into the internal mail tray ready for collection in the morning. He yawned and glanced at his watch, surprised to see it showing almost half eleven. No wonder he was tired, even with two cups of that awesome coffee.

He squirmed on the chair as he remembered the events of earlier that day...if that shout hadn’t come in..? Who knows what might have happened... It was no surprise then, that he found himself driving past...stopping outside Ianto’s shop to gaze up at his flat above. The curtains were drawn but there was a definite bright glow from within; Ianto was still up... He grabbed his phone...

Ianto was stretched out on the sofa, flicking idly through the channels, barely registering the offering from each one before moving on to the next. He had no interest in watching anything but was far too wired to sleep. The day’s events replayed over and over in his head...it had been an interesting day; rescuing a sparrow, creating a batch of perfect Welsh cakes, joining the retained fire service...oh and discovering he was gay...

He frowned, not gay, he amended, it wasn’t men, it was one man...Jack...just him...only him...and now he was so totally out of his depth... He gazed longingly at Jack’s coat, maybe he should go to bed and try to get some sleep – he could always take the coat with him like the night before... He jumped as his phone beeped in his pocket and he dug it out quickly – no-one ever sent him texts this late so it had to be bad news...

Are you still up Yanno? J

Relief and warmth flooded his body. He tapped a swift reply Yep J I

I’ve got your flask to return...the coffee was awesome! J

A huge grin lit up the Welshman’s face as he replied Glad you enjoyed! Return anytime or take a refill... I

Anytime? Open the door then! J

He sat up and stared at his phone. He was dreaming – of course this was a dream...Jack was coming for coffee at...he squinted at the time on the tiny screen...five to midnight... Okay, if it was a dream then it wouldn’t matter if he let him in... Door entry code for flat 001908 come on up! I He blinked at the sounds of movement downstairs and leapt to his feet, his eyes fixed on the door, heart pounding wildly as the footsteps came closer...

Jack gripped the flask tighter as he pushed the door open and an involuntary gasp escaped his lips as he took in the sight of the young man who’d captivated him from the moment they’d met. Ianto still had his suit trousers and waistcoat on, but he’d undone the buttons of the waistcoat and the top three buttons of his shirt, a tantalising glimpse of soft downy hair visible in the tiny triangle of flesh on show. His tie hung undone, swinging with the gentle sway of his body. He looked utterly beautiful...

Jack hesitated for a split second before striding across the room to wrap the young man into his arms, the flask dropping to the floor as he reached to cup his face with one hand, brushing his thumb lightly over his cheek.

Ianto melted into the embrace, drowning in the intoxicating aroma that was Jack, his knees shaking and the butterflies in his stomach in a frenzy of chaotic flight.

“Yanno...my Yanno...” Jack whispered against his ear. “You’re trembling...”

Ianto let out a strangled whimper as he tightened his hold around the Captain, “I’ve never...I mean...I want to...it’s like I’m on the edge of a cliff...I’m scared Jack...”

“Oh sweetheart, I won’t let you fall...” as he tipped the Welshman’s face up to brush their lips together, the lightest of touches that had Ianto shivering with delicious sensation from head to toe. His hands moved to tangle one in Jack’s hair whilst the other slid down to grab his hip and tug him closer as their mouths met again...tentatively...tiny butterfly touches, each relishing the feel of soft and sensual lips moving sweetly against their own.

Ianto’s low moan was lost as he sank into the kiss, his mouth opening as Jack’s tongue flickered lightly against his lips, sliding inside to slow dance with his own until they broke apart panting softly.

“You okay?” Jack’s breath warm against his skin.

“mmnnn..!” the only coherent sound Ianto was capable of producing, bringing a smile to the older man’s face, a smile that grew as the Welshman tugged him back in for a repeat performance, tentatively sliding his tongue into Jack’s mouth where it explored with increasing confidence, mapping every contour possessively...

By the time they came up for air, Ianto was dizzy with desire, fireworks going off in his head, his lips pink and deliciously kiss swollen, his trousers straining at the seams and he wanted more...so much more...

“Jack!” he gasped, every nerve ending tingling and his legs boneless, meaning he leant heavily against his Captain who hugged him closer, breathing in the scent that was Ianto... Their eyes met, passion and want raging in twin pools of blue. “Bedroom...” Ianto’s voice was thick with desire and he could barely get the word out...

Entwining their fingers, Ianto led them on shaking legs to the bedroom where they sank down onto the duvet as lips crashed together and they lost themselves in kiss after blissful kiss...

Chapter 4   http://zazajb.dreamwidth.org/46457.html