Twos and Blues...12/?

[zazajb]

Title: Twos and Blues: 12/? 
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, Rhiannion
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 3900

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! Updates will now be posted to both LJ and DW

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... SWFRS = South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Cross posted so you might get this more than once – sorry!

Twos and Blues 12/?

 

Chapter 12

 

The morning passed swiftly with the initial rush of takeaway coffee and breakfast specials dying away to a steady flow of both takeaway and eat in coffee and cake; the computers were again proving popular and Ianto noticed some familiar faces amongst those sat at the tables...regulars, he thought with a grin.

A lady at one of the far tables caught his eye. She’d been on the computer earlier and was now sat reading intently, a notebook by her side as she scribbled in it from time to time. She’d been in every day so far. He thought back to her last coffee, moving to the machine to make a chocolate truffle and cut her a slice of cake...

“Hello!” he said, putting the mug and plate down quietly, not wanting to make her jump. She looked up and smiled. Warm hazel eyes beneath grey-flecked light brown curls eyed him questioningly.

“Hi!” she glanced at the coffee and cake, “um, I think there’s been a mistake, I...”

“...on the house!” Ianto smiled. I’m intrigued to see what you’re studying so I thought I’d come and ask! Ianto Jones, by the way...” he held his hand out.

“Sue...Sue Hunter...” she shook his hand warmly and pushed her text book towards him, “I’m doing an archaeology degree with the Open University, this assignment is the ‘Archaeology of Urbanisation’ and it’s not the most riveting of topics so I’m struggling a bit! At least I have your wonderful coffee to keep me going...”

Ianto grinned and scanned the page. “I was a member of the Archaeological Society at Newport University, my mate was doing the degree and he got me interested in it. Sadly I didn’t get to that many meetings as I was always working – in the Campus coffee shop as it happens, but I did go to one amazing lecture by Dr Lillian Lattimer on the Chambered Tombs of Pembrokeshire. She had some amazing pictures of Pentre Ifan and another one...can’t remember...”

“Carreg Samson?”

“Yeah, that’s the one..! I had them on my ‘places to visit’ but still not got there! One day...”

“I’ve seen Carreg Samson but not Pentre...and Dr Lillian is amazing, she was in charge of the dig I went on last summer...”

They chatted easily and Ianto found his interest in the subject revitalised, moving away only when a customer came in and then returning. Forty minutes later they shook hands again and Ianto had his new assistant, taking her through to the kitchen to meet Rhi. He left the ladies chatting and rang Jack who’d gone back home to get some more clothes and stop off at the supermarket after he’d rejected all of Ianto’s ‘dinner-for-one’ frozen offerings!

“Hey sweetheart! Everything okay?” Jack leant on the trolley, the unmistakeable warmth in his voice causing several females nearby to gaze enviously at the phone, this one was not only taken, he was totally taken!

“Yeah, it’s good! I’ve found my assistant!”

“That’s impressive, the ad’s not gone out yet!” Jack chuckled, picturing the eye roll on the other end of the phone.

“She’s a customer, Sue, used to work in a coffee shop a long time ago, she’s doing an archaeology degree...we had a wonderful chat about the Red Lady of Pavaland...”

“I can’t wait to meet her! I’ll be about another half hour...love you!” He hung up, oblivious to the admiring glances as he strode up and down the aisles. Twenty minutes later he was back in the SUV heading for home... @Yanno he corrected himself...it felt like home...

Arriving back just before closing, Jack was introduced to Sue and the four of them sat and chatted enjoyably after the doors closed, munching on the curved end pieces of the fruit cake.

Sue and Rhi left shortly after three; Sue with a couple of @Yanno polo shirts and a list of phone numbers,  and, after another hour cashing up, clearing up, doing paperwork and unpacking the shopping, they were free. Wrapping Ianto into his arms, he kissed him gently. “What do you want to do for the rest of the day?”

“Can you show me around the area that you cover for the fire station – so I have a better idea of the different places – I don’t actually know this place very well at all other than where Rhi lives and this main shopping bit – I even had to Google the fire station!”

Jack laughed and kissed the end of his button nose, “then your wish is my command! How ‘bout we get some fish and chips and eat them from the paper – I know just the place..?”

“Perfect! It’s a date!” he blushed, “I don’t mean a date date, I mean it’s a plan...we’ll do...” his voice trailed away as Jack tipped his chin up and kissed his mouth deep and slow, tongue sweeping sensuously over tongue as Ianto’s senses soared and his knees turned to jelly. Releasing him regretfully, to renew their oxygen supply, Jack gazed into the Welshman’s cobalt blue eyes, drowning himself in the love that swirled endlessly in their depths. “Ianto Jones, may I have the honour of taking you to dinner on Wednesday evening, the one week anniversary of our first meeting...” his voice pitched low and formal.

Nodding vigorously, a huge grin on his face, Ianto whispered back “yes...yes, I would love to...”

“Then it’s a date!” Jack twinkled playfully at him, before stepping away so they could go upstairs to change. “You go in the bathroom first and I’ll check the availability – hopefully we’ll have plenty on so I can book off for a few hours, then we don’t have to worry about rushing back at any set time...you realise you’ll have to get used to all this..!” as he followed Ianto’s rather attractive wool-blend clad backside up the stairs.

Ianto’s reply was lost in translation through the door as Jack dragged his laptop out from his bag and logged onto the Gartan system that maintained the cover for the South Wales Fire and Rescue service. Scanning the names and times, he realised he could book off until 19:30 without it affecting their station’s ability to crew both appliances. A few clicks and it was done, booking off on Wednesday evening at the same time. While he had the laptop on, he checked his emails, answered a couple, sent one to control and then sent a brief message to Owen, copied in for Tosh and Pete as well, saying he was giving Ianto a tour of their fire ground and would be off the run for a few hours. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but he liked to keep them in the loop...

He glanced up, feeling eyes on him, his jaw dropping at the sight before him. Ianto had changed into black cargo pants and a close fitting charcoal grey soft cashmere sweater. He looked edible, his coat draped over his arm as he leant against the doorframe, and it was a challenge for Jack’s willpower to resist the swift removal of said clothing followed up with a ravishing of the delectable body underneath!

Instead he contented himself with a brief, but hotly passionate kiss, a squeeze of the Welshman’s arse and a growled “you look fantastic!” hot breath against the young man’s ear as he went to change...

Ianto was in the kitchen filling a flask with coffee when Jack rejoined him, battered blue jeans and a heavyweight blue Ed Hardy t-shirt under his trademark greatcoat. They grinned at each other as Ianto mouthed “I love that coat!” and scampered out of the door before Jack could respond. After locking up he found the Welshman leaning against the SUV looking the picture of innocence.

Laughing, he curled an arm around his waist and wrapped the coat around them both, kissing him hard, his tongue plundering Ianto’s mouth to leave him a weak and wobbly, desire infused mess as he slumped limply against the paintwork. It was Jack’s turn to bound into the driver’s seat, chuckling.

When he’d recovered his breath, Ianto climbed up into the passenger seat and clicked his seatbelt into place. “You get that back...with interest...later!” his eyebrow arched impressively over lust-darkened eyes and the instant tightening of Jack’s trousers only served to underline that one Ianto Jones was more than a match for Captain Jack Harkness.

He slid the car into drive and reversed out of the yard. “Okay, we might be a small station, but we cover a lot of ground and we’ve got a huge spread of different operational responses within that. As well as Llandough hospital we’ve got several light industrial units – there are four within our patch, including the one where Torchwood Engineering is. Those units house anything from plastic fabrication, tyre and exhaust centres, car mechanics to toy factories and the Post Office sorting office – we have to be on top of all of the risks and have accurate records for the different hazards each unit is likely to present if we’re ever called to fight a fire there. Any idea how we do that?”

“Fire safety inspections?” Ianto offered, thinking of the neat diagrams Jack had made of the location of fire extinguishers and fire blankets, each colour coded to show type.

“Top marks! Obviously, the industrial units’ paperwork is far more involved, but essentially, it’s the same process. The papers are then filed – one copy at the station, another goes to Cardiff HQ – I’ll see if I can get us a visit there so you can see the control centre at work – where it’s put onto computer so if there is an incident, control have instant access to possible hazards which they tell us. If there’s a problem with computers, we still have the paper records at the station, plus their paper record at HQ.

We have to be safe – I can’t send my firefighters in not knowing what they’ll be facing – an exploding cylinder of acetylene/oxygen where the flame burns at about 6,330 °F, that’s 3,500 °C  is not something you want to come face to face with!”

He slid a hand on to Ianto’s thigh and squeezed gently, “I have to keep you all safe as well as protecting the public... We’ve got the usual shops and homes and general residential areas – about 16, 350 residences, anything from large Victorian town houses to modern estates and high rise apartments, plus about 20 schools and nurseries, then there’s the farms and more rural areas, out by Dinas Powys and Michleston-le-Pit. Lots of woodland that can get very dry if we have a hot summer – yes, a bit unusual in Wales, but it has happened! Then we’ve got the ‘people’ aspect – there are a good number of care homes and the residents will all need help to evacuate – we have to take that into consideration when we respond.” He glanced across to see Ianto following his every word. “Okay so far?”

“Yep...where are we heading now?”

“Out on the western boundaries of our fire-ground there are several petrochemical companies. We’re heading there, I sent an email to control while you were changing, to set up a brief visit with Wilfred, he’s the head of Fire Prevention at the BP site. Wilf used to be my Guv’nor many moons ago, when I was a probie...he was an inspiration...oh so many tales I could tell you...” he smiled and Ianto’s heart missed several beats.

“We also cover some of Cardiff, specifically the western side of the Bay, Cardiff Ice Rink and Cardiff City Stadium. Other recreational venues we cover are Cosmeston Lakes where we went yesterday, the caravan parks at Sully and Lavernock, Penarth Pier and the marina. We’ve got a bit of everything so we have to be prepared for anything...and that’s why we have drill night. We’ll have training lectures, exercises – not the stretch and bend kind, although we have those too, but the setting up of incidents and also the basics – ladder drills, pump drills, hose drills...firefighting is a skill, and like any skill you have to keep practicing... We also have courses at training centre and multi-station full scale exercises on occasional weekends... Still want to join?”

“Definitely!”

“Good! Right, this is the BP site, there are three others further along...” as he turned into a narrow road, numerous signs warning PRIVATE and NO TRESPASSING. “Security is high on the agenda here, can’t have free access to something like this – imagine a bomb going off here...Penarth, Sully and half of Cardiff would be wiped off the map...” He pulled up in front of a guard’s kiosk and got out, motioning for Ianto to do the same and headed into the long low building set back from the road. Jack pulled out his Fire Service ID, talking quietly to the uniformed man behind the counter. “Yanno?”

“Jack?” Ianto turned as he was called, his attention drawn back from where he’d been gazing out of the window at the strange equipment in the distance.

“Stand over here and look at that target...” a bright flash almost blinded him and a machine whirred into life. Seconds later a small photograph was spat out which was then placed into a visitor’s pass. “Sign in, just there...” Jack pointed. After a signature in the appointed place, just underneath Jack’s, they made their way back outside. Once back in the SUV, the barrier was lifted, the rather good looking guard saluting as they passed. A few metres down the road, Jack turned off into a parking area where a grey haired man was waiting.

“Wilf...good to see you again!” Hands were shaken and Jack was pulled into a massive bear hug by the other man who obviously knew him well.

“You’re looking younger than ever!” Wilf narrowed his eyes as he grasped Jack by the shoulders and stared appraisingly at him, “what’s your secret?”

“Oh I’ve got the odd grey hair creeping in, I’ll have to dye them out...yeah I know, vanity – once a poster boy, always a poster boy!”

Ianto didn’t understand a word of this exchange and stood to one side with his mouth slightly open, gasping as his hand was suddenly grasped and he was dragged forwards to meet “my old Guv’nor, Wilf Barrett, Guv this is Ianto Jones...new recruit...”

“Good to meet you, son...you’ll not do better than Jackie here for a Guvnor...taught him all he knows!” he shook Ianto’s hand warmly, glancing between him and Jack.“You sly old dog!” he chortled loudly.

Ianto had the unexpected pleasure of seeing a fierce blush rocket over Jack’s face and he gazed at him, committing the image to memory, suddenly realising Wilf still had hold of his hand and had now clasped his other hand over the top, squeezing lightly before his captive fingers were released.

“So, how long?”

Jack’s blush deepened. “A week...almost...”

“You got it bad!” the tone held nothing but fondness and Ianto suddenly understood the topic of conversation, adding his own delicate pink hues to the rainbow of colour on their faces.

Jack moved closer and draped his arm around Ianto’s shoulders, “we’ve been rumbled!” he grinned and winked at his old Guv’nor “This is the real deal...”

“I can see that...you look after him Jackie boy!” He turned to Ianto. “Did he tell he you he was a model in his youth?” he chuckled as Ianto shook his head ”nah, thought not! Walk with me, son, and I’ll embarrass your Captain good and proper!” He nodded approvingly as Ianto fell into step beside him, Jack clasping his hand on the other side, a resigned but amused expression on his face.

“Jackie here joined the retained not long after the new Welsh training school opened, it was a custom-built state-of-the-art, best that money could buy, all funded by the legacy from Sir William Boshane, a senior fireman in the South Wales brigade who’d retired some years ago. He was a pioneer in many ways, never married, had no family and left his entire estate to fund this new training school in his name. Well, they needed a face for the posters...and when young Jack Harkness went to training school for his basic training, came out top of his class in every discipline, including the obligatory water fights, their face was found. Jackie...well you tell him!” he laughed, a hearty baritone rumble of laughter from deep within his belly.

Ianto turned to look at Jack, whose grin now lit up the overcast sky like a firework on Guy Fawkes, “the Face of Boe they called me! I was the first one to be signed up and I have my place in the Gallery...you’ll see for yourself when you go...there have been many since me, but I was the original!” He leant closer to whisper in the Welshman’s ear, “if you knew how much I’d bribed Owen with to keep that quiet!”

They all laughed companionably and followed as Wilf now led them through more checkpoints where hard hats were issued and their passes were scanned. The tour was fairly brief, but informative and Ianto’s head spun at the sheer amount of information the other two men knew about the different chemicals and processes. He said little, but his wide eyed expression of deep concentration was noted by both men.

“He’ll do well, this one...”Wilf said quietly as he pulled Jack into a farewell hug at the gate some fifty minutes later. “You treat him right...he’s good for you...you’ve got that look about you I’ve not seen since...”

“Yeah, I know...” the tight squeeze on the other man’s shoulders enough to stop him from saying the name. They stepped apart, nodding understanding before Ianto shook hands and was hugged briefly.

“Good luck Ianto, I’ll see you on exercise no doubt, but let’s hope, never on duty...”

“Thank you, Sir...I’ve learned so much today...my head’s spinning!”

Lifting his hand as they passed back through the checkpoint and headed to the SUV, Ianto took Jack’s hand and kissed it lightly. “Face of Boe, eh? You wait till I get at my computer, I’ll Google you!”

Laughing, they strolled back to the car, passed back through the barrier, dropping their ID passes into the box next to the barrier and continued on their tour. Jack drove through the narrow roads surrounded by farmland, pointing out places of interest or particular hazards until he stopped outside a small parade of shops in Sully. “Wait here a minute, I’ll just go and get our dinner...” He hopped out and vanished into the end building.

Left with the radio playing some random classical piece he didn’t recognise, Ianto suddenly remembered his phone and dug it out of his pocket. By the time Jack returned with a bulging carrier bag of fragrant fish and chips, Ianto had managed to locate and download several pictures, posters and magazine covers of The Face of Boe, chuckling to himself as he saved each one to the memory card.

Jack climbed back in and leant across to plant a soft kiss on his lips as he handed over the bag. “You hungry?”

“Yes, where are we going?”

“Not far...” he swung the wheel, following a narrow unmade road down towards the sea, “I used to come here with the Doc. It was our place to talk, we’d skim stones into the sea and just sit and watch the waves and I’d talk, usually about my past, Gray and my parents; the Doc said it was better to talk than bottle it up...and he was right – it really did help...” He pulled up on the shallow incline and turned the engine off. They climbed out and Jack led the way along the shore, stopping at a cluster of giant boulders.  “Here...”

Sinking down with their back against the rock, Jack unpacked their dinner while Ianto poured the coffee. There was nothing but the sounds of murmured appreciation as they tucked in to the very delicious fish and chips. Sighing contentedly, Ianto reached into the bag for a napkin, his hands meeting nothing but empty space.

“Jack, did you pick up any napkins?”

“Eh? Nope, forgot! You can use my coat!”

“I’m not using your coat to wipe my fingers on, they’re all greasy!” Ianto was horrified at the suggestion, a gasp escaping as Jack grinned and grabbed his hand, sucking three of the Welshman’s fingers into his mouth as his tongue swirled and flicked over Ianto’s flesh. A low moan fell from between softly parted lips as Jack’s mouth moved on to his little finger, the action immediately stirring memories of a certain lesson below both men’s waistlines.

Releasing the finger with a loud pop, they looked at each other, hands reaching simultaneously to tangle in each other’s hair as mouths crashed together and they kissed frantically, teeth clashing, passion bruising lips, pressing closer as hot arousals strained against the confines of their trousers...

Lust-blown eyes met as they broke apart, panting hard, “take me home Jack...please...take me home and take me to bed...”

Rubbish and flask were shoved into the bag as they scrambled along the beach towards the car, pausing every few steps to kiss hotly, their kisses wet and messy as they grabbed at t-shirt and jumper to stroke warm flesh below. Reaching the SUV, the bag was dumped into the boot before Jack was slammed against the driver’s door, Ianto’s hands roving hungrily over his Captain’s body beneath his t-shirt as his tongue swept the other man’s mouth and hips ground hard against hips...

Pulling back, breathless and trembling, Ianto moved his mouth to Jack’s ear, “Drive...before I have you here...now...”

Wrenching the doors open they climbed in, clicked seatbelts and hung on as Jack spun the wheels and turned for home...

tbc